The Westbrook superintendent of schools is resting comfortably after heart surgery Tuesday.

Stan Sawyer, 62, went through a three-hour surgery Tuesday morning at Maine Medical Center to have a valve replaced in his heart. Though the recovery period is typically six to 12 weeks, Sawyer said Monday he expects to be back – at least part time – by the first week in August.

According to Jayne Barnes, executive assistant to the superintendent, the surgeon said Tuesday afternoon that “everything went awesome” and Sawyer is doing well.

In Sawyer’s absence, Jan Breton, the assistant superintendent, and Michael Kucsma, business manager, will share his duties, with Barnes’ help.

Though Barnes said it was fortunate that Sawyer’s surgery was scheduled for the summer when the department “has a bit of down time,” if it were up to the superintendent himself, he would have waited another year, when he is set to retire.

Sawyer, who originally retired in June 2007, was rehired immediately for the 2007-2008 school year. At the time, School Committee members cited the school consolidation law and the building of the new middle school as large projects that would benefit from the continuity of keeping Sawyer on board.

In February, the board asked Sawyer to stay for another year, as consolidation plans had not yet been finalized and construction had not yet started on the new middle school.

July 1 marks the start of Sawyer’s 10th year as superintendent in Westbrook. Before coming to the city, he worked in School Administrative District 52 in Turner. Sawyer has four sons and four grandsons, and lives with his wife, Jane, in Harspwell.

According to School Committee Member Colleen Hilton, who is the head of the search committee for a new superintendent, the city will begin advertising for the position in the fall, conduct interviews during the winter and hopes to hire someone for the position in March.

Sawyer, who said he was born with a heart murmur, has known for sometime that he would have to have the valve replaced. He discovered the condition during a medical examination when he joined the Air Force after college.

Sawyer’s aortic valve does not completely shut when blood comes through, which puts strain on the valve.

“If I didn’t get a new valve, it would stop working,” he said Monday before the surgery.

Sawyer has been monitored by a cardiologist for the past 20 years, but it wasn’t until a few months ago that he noticed something different. When going for a brisk walk, dancing with his wife or chasing around one of his four grandsons – all activities Sawyer enjoys – he said he felt discomfort, “like someone was sitting on my chest.”

Though his doctor wanted to perform the surgery in May, Sawyer asked that it wait until after he retired, but his doctor said it was not in his best interest.

“Your body is the best indicator. It will tell you if something’s wrong,” Sawyer said. “My body told me it needed a new valve.”

Sawyer and his doctor compromised on the late June surgery date, after the school budget was passed and graduation was over.

He was given the choice of having his aortic valve replaced with a mechanical valve, which is guaranteed to last forever but requires patients to be on medication that thins the blood, or a tissue valve, which lasts only about 20 years until it needs to be replaced again.

Sawyer, whose favorite activities include downhill skiing, dancing and gardening, said he chose the tissue valve because he would be able to maintain his active lifestyle without worrying about his blood not clotting if he had an accident. In fact, if his doctors are right, he may even be able to pick up a few more sports.

“They said I’ll have even more energy than I had before,” said Sawyer, who thinks that might be impossible. “A lot of people said I could sell it to the Energizer Bunny.”

Because of Sawyer’s all-around good health, he imagines he will be back on his feet in no time – not that he’s worried the rest of the staff can’t handle the work.

“I have a very capable assistant superintendent and business manager, and an outstanding executive assistant,” he said. “They know what to do during the summer.”

For now, Sawyer will be at Maine Medical Center until Saturday, when he will return to his home in Harpswell, where, he said, “all kinds of books and plenty of good movies” are waiting for him.

Meanwhile, at the office, Barnes said, she has been “inundated with people wishing him well,” as he recovers in the hospital with his wife and sons by his side.

“He’s got a good support group,” she said.

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