Ohio -- While the country mourns the loss of President George H. W. Bush, Ohio Senator Rob Portman is mourning the loss of a man he considered a friend and mentor.

Before he was a senator or congressman, Portman served in Bush’s White House as a lawyer and his director of the White House Office of Legislative Affairs.

Portman paid tribute to his former boss in a speech on the Senate floor Tuesday afternoon, calling Bush a great American we were all inspired by.

He recounted his favorite memories of a man he called a ‘lifelong patriot,’ a ‘guiding voice,’ and  ‘the embodiment of the very best of America.’

Ohio’s junior senator said he relied on Bush for advice and counsel long after working in his White House. And Portman said he traveled often to visit the former president, including this past September.

Portman said Bush was one of the most decent and honorable people he’d ever met.

“He showed me that you could do this work of public service and politics with honor and dignity and respect,” Portman said. “He showed that nice guys can finish first.”

Portman called Bush a ‘guiding light’ who ‘never chose to do things just because they were easy.’

He also told a story about delivering the former president a signed baseball in 2015, after Bush had fallen and broken a bone.

Portman said about 95 people on Capitol Hill ended up signing the ball and a card, all to express their love and support for the 41st president.