A longtime teacher and coach at Ardmore High School died Thursday night after a brief illness.

Ardmore science teacher and girls soccer coach Clint Putman suffered a heart attack at Huntsville Hospital following surgery to repair an aneurysm on his aortic valve, Ardmore Principal Glenn Bryant said Friday.

“It’s just devastating the way the events transpired,” Bryant said. “We went from thinking he was perfectly healthy the week of fall break to just a few weeks later he’s gone. It’s just awful. His loss creates a void that will not easily be filled.”

Putman had taught at Ardmore since 2011, and he had coached the girls soccer team the entire time he was at the school. He previously taught and coached at Priceville from 2008 to 2011.

“He was extremely well-liked, and a good teacher first of all,” Bryant said. “He was a very caring and compassionate coach. I knew he was always taking care of business and taking care of the kids. And they got better every year from the time the season started to the time it ended.”

Bryant said the aneurysm was discovered during a routine physical the week of fall break. Surgery was successful but led to complications that required an extended stay in the hospital.

Bryant said Putman had been improving and was about to start physical therapy when he suffered a heart attack Thursday night.

“The Monday we came back from fall break, he spent a couple of hours at the school,” Bryant said. “He met with his team and said he’d be back after Christmas. Now he’s gone. You just never know.”