What better way to pay tribute to the remarkable Tim Russert, who has sadly left us, than to leave his seat empty during Sunday’s broadcast, as former colleagues and friends at NBC fondly remembered him during “Meet the Press”?

The seat that Tim Russert occupied throughout the years was empty this Father’s Day but the love was there as host Tom Brokaw and his group of guests reminisced about the remarkable moderator.

Brokaw tried his best to begin Sunday’s edition in a stoic manner, by talking about a large wooden sign Russert had in his office, which read, “Thou shall not whine.”

“It’s going to be our mantra for this morning,” Brokaw said, referring to the idiom. “And if I can add, I think, anything to that, ‘Thou shall not weep or cry this morning.’ This is a celebration, a time to remember.”

Brokaw and his guests Mike Barnicle, James Carville, Mary Matalin, PBS news host Gwen Ifill, Doris Kearns Goodwin, the show’s executive producer Betsy Fischer and by satellite, Maria Shriver, did celebrate the life and work of Russert but there were also emotional moments and there were tears too, from the host himself.

The panel remembered Russert as a thorough, rigorous journalist who did not shy away from asking his guests, especially presidential candidates, tough questions but who was also greatly appreciated and sought after.

People wanted to be on his show, even if it meant they had to be very prepared or else do some squirming in their seats. Those who hesitated were convinced by Russert himself.

“This is where you separated the men from the boys,” said Matalin. “You weren’t a candidate until you came on this show ... You came here, that meant you had something to say.”

Russert’s love for Buffalo sports teams was fondly reminisced, as was his ability “to see from a hundred yards away a small critical comment made about him in some newspaper or magazine.”

The group also talked about the political analyst’s love for his country, with Brokaw breaking down in tears during the emotional discussion.

Russert’s death has been a shock to all. He suffered a heart attack on Friday, while at work in the NBC Studios in Washington, D.C., when he was struck with cardiac arrest. He was unable to recover despite resuscitation efforts.

He was only 58. His personal physician said the moderator had asymptomatic coronary artery disease that was kept under control with medication and exercise. The doctor was shocked himself by the death, especially since Russert had performed well on a stress test in late April.

Russert is survived by wife Maureen Orth, a Vanity Fair journalist, and son Luke.

A public wake is scheduled to take place Tuesday, June 17, at St. Albans School in Washington. A private funeral mass and burial will take place Wednesday morning, while a private memorial service will be held Wednesday afternoon at the Kennedy Center. MSNBC will televise the latter live.