It was something no-one expected, except perhaps those closed to him. Former US President Jimmy Carter attended his wife Rosalynn’s funeral on Tuesday.

Carter is 99, and has been in hospice care for months. Attending the funeral must have taken all the effort he has left in him. Those around him were probably saying not to do it. I doubt his doctors were pleased.

But Jimmy and Rosalynn were married 77 years. Carter’s devotion to his wife and his understanding of his duty to her memory would not keep him away – even if the excursion would shorten his life.

My already considerable respect for the man increased as I read the news report. He knew what was right. He did it. He didn’t take the easy way out and stay in bed, which would have been so understandable given his age and health.

In many ways, attending the funeral encapsulated what Jimmy Carter has always been: Someone who understands what it means to make a commitment and to follow through to the end, no matter the cost.

We need more like him in public service, and in the world.