Over the past week, we celebrated the career of Timothy Cotter upon his retirement as executive editor.

Day staffers past and present gathered over the weekend for a party, and on Thursday we had cake in the newsroom before Cotter wrote the final message on his chalkboard in the corner office and left.

For months the chalkboard message had been quintessential Cotter: “It will all work out.”

That was replaced by a countdown of his remaining days of work in February, when Cotter, 66, announced his retirement. During the past two months, he generously provided us with advice, reminiscences and laughs.

“And away we go,” said the chalkboard Thursday afternoon.

He’s left an amazing legacy and a grateful staff.

During his 34 years at The Day, Cotter hired and mentored many of us. Some departed for careers at big-city publications, like legislative reporter Ted Mann, who works for the Wall Street Journal, Jennifer Peter, who is managing editor of the Boston Globe, and Peter's husband Andrew Ryan, an award-winning investigative journalist at The Globe.

“We owe everything to you,” Ryan told Cotter recently. “Our amazing first careers.”

Cotter led those of us who stayed at The Day through challenging times for our industry while continuously pushing us to step out of our comfort zones and try new things. He relished hiring new reporters and guiding us to perform award-winning journalism.

“He's been the best editor I ever had in so many ways,” said columnist David Collins, who consistently pushes the envelope with his writing and can be a challenge to edit.

What was it about Cotter that made him a great leader and editor? His calm demeanor. His bottomless well of new ideas. His knack of gently but firmly prodding us to ask more questions. His wife, Betty Cotter pointed out he’s an expert at “boiling complicated things to the chase.”

In a humble and humbling speech he delivered at the party, Cotter said he was blown away by the talent at The Day when he arrived 34 years ago after a stint at weekly papers in Rhode Island. He said ultimately it became his job to hire and guide the next generation of journalists.

“You get them in and train them and encourage them and coach them and then you get the hell out of the way,” Cotter said.

Fortunately for us, he’s not leaving entirely. He'll be managing the opinion page – a role he stepped out of his own comfort zone to take on – and will be available if we need advice in the newsroom.

We're going to work hard to make Cotter proud.

Izaskun Larrañeta, who came to the newsroom in 1999 ready to do great things, and who has grown into a strong, kind and capable leader, is stepping into the role of executive editor.

I'm replacing her as managing editor and will work hard to bring out the best in our staff for the benefit of our community. Talent and dedication run deep in our newsroom and we’re always working to improve.

I'll continue to keep you informed in this column as we step into the future.

It will all work out.

This is the opinion of Karen Florin. Reach her at k.florin@theday.com or (860) 701-4217

Tim Cotter’s Top Five

During his last week of work, Executive Editor Tim Cotter listed some of the stories that made him proud over the years.

Sandy Hook shooting, 2012: “Even though it wasn’t local, we sent two reporters and a photographer and that was just so heartbreaking.”

2008 recession: Cotter led the newsroom in reporting a series called “Navigating the downturn.”

Superstorm Sandy, 2012: “That was a huge story. Every weather system you could think of just kind of collided. Misquamicut disappeared.”

Investigations: Larrañeta in 2014 wrote award-winning stories on a mortgage fraud scheme which led to the indictment and imprisonment of Timothy Burke. During his stint at The Day from 2002-2004, Ryan wrote stories about home health care fraud, focusing on a man who was stealing from the elderly and the state’s lack of licensing standards.

Sports: “My favorite sports story, which I had nothing to do with”: Sportswriter Gavin Keefe scored an interview, while pumping gas, with a UConn starter who had disappeared during the season and was evading reporters. The player and Keefe, pumping gas at the same time, talked just enough for Keefe to get the story. ”The rest of the sports press corps was livid,“ Cotter said.