The last time I spoke with Tom Daley, he was driving to Baton Rouge to officially take his name out of the running for St. John the Baptist Parish District Attorney — a term that would have started last month.

Our conversation took place Nov. 10, 2014, a Monday. In fact, it was only three days after he announced his decision to exit the election through a post on his Facebook page.

Daley’s cancer had returned, and he was heeding the advice of medical professionals to spend time with loved ones.

It was probably one of the smartest decisions he ever made, as he passed away Jan. 31, a mere 10 weeks after that conversation.

In speaking with numerous people recently about the former district attorney and judge’s impact, it’s easy to understand St. John Parish and the extended region lost a good man in Daley.

It also hit me, as I went back and reviewed our last conversation, just how much strength and grace Daley displayed as he opted to retire from public service.

Some of the quotes I wrote down are worth sharing again, as they open a window into a dedicated public servant’s thought process, a special person who was keenly aware his time with the community and people he loved was coming to an end.

I, like so many others, thank him for everything he sacrificed and everything he shared in these last, precious weeks.

“I’m not a Facebook person, so my daughter and some of my staff members have kept me abreast of it,” Daley told me in November in reference to the social media response he was receiving following his election withdrawal announcement.

“I have received positive support and concern from the community in St. John, both in prayers and well wishes. I appreciate that, especially the prayers. (My election withdrawal) is based on very, very direct advice of my neurosurgeon, who told me my cancer is reactivated and that the stress and anxiety of the campaign is not helping it.”

What also stands out to me about Daley’s thoughts that day was the humor and matter-of-fact way he explained his thought process.

He said his neurosurgeon was emphatic, telling him “take your tie off, put your blue jeans on and go spend some time with your wife.”

It was hard advice to hear, but Daley said it’s “stupid to ignore experts.”

He was pragmatic about the transition of power between himself and incoming district attorney, Bridget Dinvaut.

“Between now and Jan. 7, I am still the district attorney,” Daley said at the time. “Things will go along as status quo. When (Dinvaut) and I agree on any adjustments that need to be made, they will be made. After she is in charge, she will do what she wants to do.”

I think his true character, one of selfless devotion to the community, came out when asked about what serving as a judge and district attorney meant to him.

“I thank (community members) for their help and support,” Daley said. “I had the privilege to help serve the citizens of St. John Parish for 29 plus years. I’m grateful for the opportunity.”

There are very few people in St. John Parish who know what stress is involved in serving as district attorney, especially in a community like ours, which features real-world problems and small-town familiarity. One of those people is his successor and former colleague, Bridget Dinvaut.

She, as much as anyone, knows what our community lost in Daley.

“It is an absolute honor and privilege to succeed Tom Daley as district attorney, in and for, the Parish of St. John,” she said. “He was a person of distinction in the legal profession and a person of great moral compass. I respected his legal intellect and understood his approach to fundamental fairness.”

It seems the truly unfair thing is Tom Daley is no longer with us.

Stephen Hemelt is general manager and editor of L’OBSERVATEUR. He can be reached at 985-652-9545 or stephen.hemelt@lobservateur.com.