It was easy to recognize the Mark Takai we knew in the condolences expressed all around Hawaii — and the nation — at the news of his death Wednesday.

A humble, effective servant. A true people’s representative. A good, decent man with a heart of aloha.

From his days as a student government president, varsity athlete and editor-in-chief of the University of Hawaii campus newspaper to his nearly 20 years of service in the state House of Representatives to his 18 months in Congress, Takai demonstrated a lifelong commitment to Hawaii and its people and a profound love for his country.

That manifested not only in his political work but in his 17 years of service in the Hawaii National Guard, which included participation in Operation Iraqi Freedom and a tour in Kuwait. When he rose to the rank of lieutenant colonel in 2013, rooms at the Capitol where the promotion ceremony was held overflowed with well-wishers congratulating Takai, his wife Sami and their children, Matthew and Kaila.

In the state House, he rose to vice speaker, held numerous committee chairmanships and was known for his work on behalf of the military and veterans affairs. Many observers particularly recall his efforts on behalf of K-12 and higher education. On Wednesday, Hawaii Department of Education Superintendent Kathryn Matayoshi noted his tireless advocacy “for funding and resources to help the Department’s efforts in providing quality education for all children.”

Despite being elected 10 times, Takai was never the flashiest guy in the room. Good public servants don’t always need to be. Voters appreciated his steady, hard-working leadership and attention to their needs.

He was a man of principle. When the Legislature scheduled a special session in the fall of 2013 on marriage equality, Takai surprised many by publicly announcing he’d vote for the measure. That support from one of the House’s most senior members gave the bill a boost of energy.

At the end of a tumultuous, high-profile week of public testimony, he delivered a moving speech on the House floor, helping propel the issue to a bigger-than-expected 30-18 passage.

Determined Underdog

Still, when Takai announced his 2014 candidacy for the 1st Congressional District seat being vacated by Colleen Hanabusa, few expected him to win. He faced a crowded, eight-candidate Democratic field dominated early by then-state Senate President Donna Mercado Kim. Takai’s dogged determination as a campaigner ate into Kim’s polling lead and saw him win the party nomination with 43 percent of the vote, routing Kim by a surprising 16 points.

The general election was closer: Takai knocked off Charles Djou, who had previously held the seat, 51 percent to 48 percent.

Takai took to his new role with enthusiasm and genuine excitement, hosting an Aloha Friday pau hana each week in his congressional office, touring historic Washington destinations with his family and taking his kids to the White House. When he accompanied Rep. John Lewis of Georgia on a trip to Selma, Alabama that the Civil Rights legend leads every other year for new representatives and senators, Takai was thrilled to be part of the exploration of American history and shared his thoughts with Civil Beat readers in series of posts.

Among his colleagues, he quickly developed a reputation as a genial, pragmatic leader who could work across the aisle. For a freshman legislator in the minority party, he was surprisingly effective in the budget and appropriations process, inserting numerous amendments into the fiscal year 2016 National Defense Authorization Act worth hundreds of millions of dollars to Hawaii.

When he announced his diagnosis of pancreatic cancer last fall, he did so with grace and courage.

In December, he made his way to the Capitol to vote for the James Zadroga 9/11 Health and Compensation Reauthorization Act, a bill to restore health-care funding for firefighters, police and other emergency personnel who responded to the 2001 attack on the World Trade Center. Takai had met advocates for the bill earlier in the year and put his office at their disposal as they lobbied for the legislation. One leader in that effort called the Takai office their “home away from home.”

Thanks in part to his support and assistance, the bill passed a deeply divided Congress and was signed into law by the president. Its coverage is now in effect for 75 more years, meaning even the youngest individuals affected by the tragedy will have support for the rest of their lives.

Early this year, many were pleasantly surprised when Takai said that his doctor had cleared him to run for a second term. He met with Vice President Joe Biden in January, months after Biden’s son, Beau, died from cancer. A warm embrace between the two at the Cancer Moonshot Summit made national news.

Takai stopped by the Civil Beat offices for an editorial board meeting in March, where he demonstrated another moment of principle.

A Democratic super-delegate, owing to his congressional seat, Takai had committed in 2015 to support Hillary Clinton as the party’s nominee for the presidency. But only days before the editorial board, Sen. Bernie Sanders had trounced Clinton in the Hawaii Presidential Preference Poll. Asked whether he’d maintain his commitment to Clinton, Takai affirmed that he would — and then endured days of biting, even vicious online abuse from some Sanders supporters after a story and video of Takai at the editorial board was posted on the Civil Beat site and Facebook.

Takai suffered the trolling in silence. Though switching his allegiance might have been expedient, he had made a commitment to Clinton, and he intended to honor his word despite any possible impact on his own re-election bid this fall.

‘A Legacy Of Courage, Of Service And Of Hope’

Two months later, though, came the news that no one wanted to hear. Takai’s cancer had spread. Running for re-election was no longer in the cards. He would serve the remainder of his term and retire.

That was in May. Only those closest to Takai and his family knew the details regarding his condition. So Wednesday’s news was sadly unexpected throughout Hawaii and beyond.

President Obama released a statement late Wednesday expressing his and the first lady’s sadness at Takai’s death. The president elegantly summed up the impact of Mark Takai’s life in a passage that bears repeating here.

“Mark was always a fighter,” said Obama. “It’s the spirit he brought to more than two decades of public service on behalf of the people of Hawaii. He stood up for America’s most vulnerable. He championed our troops and veterans, and proudly wore our nation’s uniform. And his relentless push for cancer research inspired countless Americans fighting the same battle as him.

“Simply put, our country is better off because of Mark’s contributions. He leaves a legacy of courage, of service, and of hope.”