Remembering Tony Snow, a man made of 'goodness'

Editor's note: Rick DiBella was Tony Snow's producer for seven years at Fox News.

(CNN) -- You've heard him remembered by former presidents, leading politicians and colleagues alike:

"He didn't get angry." Former President George H.W. Bush

"[He] showed us how to live life: with strength, determination, and with a brave and smiling face." House Speaker Nancy Pelosi

"Engrossed, passionate, warm, intelligent, and he worked hard." Wolf Blitzer, CNN

"Fearless, cheerful, funny, smart," Brit Hume, Fox News

"Great conviction and with great dignity." Tom Brokaw, NBC News

"A quick wit married to conviction, a heart that really knew joy." George Stephanapolous, ABC News

All spot on for the former White House press secretary, but one quote stood out to me:

"Laura and I join people across our country in praying that this good man has now found comfort in the arms of his Creator." President Bush

The phrase on which I am fixated, the one to which I return every time I think about my old boss: "this good man." It may sound cliché, but it embodies his essence, the stuff he was made of: goodness.

It grounded him. It guided him, and it never left him, his goodness.

Snow died from colon cancer last Saturday. His funeral is Thursday in Washington. See images from Tony Snow's White House days »

When he fell ill, where most people would have turned to anger, Tony turned to his faith. He didn't bathe himself in pity. Quite the opposite, he embraced his illness, turning it on its head and using it to inspire others -- goodness.

He wanted to convey to the American people that while politics is serious business, it's also fun. For seven years I had the honor of being Tony's supervising producer at Fox News Sunday. As the host, he saw it as his role to explain Washington to America and America to Washington. And he did it his way, not through gotcha-journalism or combat tactics, but through thoughtful, insightful questions and yes, humor -- goodness.

From the outset he wanted our show to be unique. "It's not your father's Sunday show," he'd say. So with that he gave us creative license to produce a show that, while always on the news, also had a measure of irreverence. It was his recipe and usually his ingredients too. Watch more on the life of Tony Snow »

We did "musical bumpers" to tease segments. We'd take a sound bite from a relevant news maker and edit it to a pop song. We liked to push the envelope. Once we edited the audio of Abbott & Costello's famous "who's on first" skit to video of the House impeachment hearings. It was quite a hit, so much so that Tony insisted on running it twice in the same show. It was witty, it was irreverent, it was edgy -- it was definitely not your father's Sunday show, but it was thoroughly Tony.

We had our challenges booking big named Democrats in the early days. He didn't grow angry or indignant. Instead he preached and practiced patience -- goodness.

He knew and he reminded us that once we had them on the show they'd see we were fair and they'd come back. He was right, they did. Over the years then-House Minority Leader Richard Gephardt and then-Senate Minority Leader Tom Daschle became regular guests. The same should be said of Sens. John Kerry and John Edwards.

The last show he hosted, our guests were Sens. John McCain and Joseph Lieberman. McCain had some words of praise. At the end of his segment, Lieberman presented Tony with an autographed boxing glove, left-handed, of course. The senator wrote on the glove, "Tony you hit hard but always fair and balanced."

The show closed with Tony's signature, an essay we called "Parting Thoughts." Much to my and the show's executive producer's consternation, he usually started writing them about twenty-minutes before air and would be putting the finishing touches on them during the commercial break before the segment. But you'd never know it, they were flawless, pearls of insight and wisdom.

On September 16, 2001, as the nation was still reeling from the attacks, in a stirring cadence he reminded us of what America is: "The United States had a spirit before it had a name, one of faith and freedom, of ambition tempered by piety, we once were a nation of neighbors and friends, we are again today, we once were a nation of hardship-tested dreamers, we are again today, we once were a nation under God, and we are again today." He showed us something else that day, genuine emotion, he barely made it through while reading, "a solitary candle, a flag, a tear, these are the tokens of our renewal" -- goodness.

And in a lovely bit of ironic foreshadowing, Tony dedicated his parting thoughts to Joe Lockhart when Lockhart became President Clinton's press secretary.

Tony offered him some words of advice and concluded with this Latin phrase, "Noli nothis permittere te terere," don't let the bastards get you down -- goodness. When he took the post that Lockhart once held, I sent him a congratulatory note, and quoted his words back to him.

When it was time for me to make a career change and come to CNN, I sought his counsel. And behind closed doors we weighed the pros and cons. At the conversation's end he said, "let me know what I can do to help" -- goodness.

I was caught flatfooted when I learned about Tony's death. Yes, I knew that he wasn't doing well, but I convinced myself he'd pull through. My logic? Since he was good at everything else he did, he'd be good at beating cancer too. Plus, his optimism had trumped all other challenges, surely it would beat this too.

"This good man:" will be missed. His was a rare combination of kindness of heart and keenness of mind. We were lucky to have him as long as we did. He brought us an abundance of love, authenticity, kindness, in a word, he brought us goodness.

I hope Tony's wife, Jill, and their three kids can find some comfort and solace in knowing what an indelible impression he left on so many of us. Though he is gone, his goodness lives on.

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