JENISON, Mich. — A 51-year-old man is dead after suffering a heart attack during open swim at Jenison High School on Sunday afternoon, according to school officials.
The Ottawa County Sheriff’s Department said authorities responded to the school around 4 p.m. on Sunday.
A memo posted by Superintendent Tom TenBrink to a Jenison Public Schools Facebook page late Sunday evening identified the victim as Tom Smart.
TenBrink said Smart died of a heart attack, adding the pool lifeguards did “everything humanly possible to resuscitate him.”
Smart is being described by many as a beloved and active member of the Jenison community, who served as a longtime board member for the Georgetown little league team, and an umpire for school and travel baseball teams.
“Tom Smart invested his life in raising his children and providing athletic opportunities for all of the children In Georgetown Township,” TenBrink said in a statement to FOX 17. “He was a prominent figure in Georgetown Little league for many years and was also involved in our youth football program. He will be greatly missed.”
“It is with a very heavy heart that I share with you that we lost a long time community member this Valentine’s afternoon at the Jenison High School pool,” TedBrink said in his memo on Facebook.
“There are not adequate words to express our sympathy to Tom’s wife, Janet, and his children, Tommy, Kayla, Boyd and his grandson, Brayden. Everyone who arrived on the scene to deal with this difficult situation was highly complimentary of their efforts. I was told on numerous occasions how proud I should be of our team because of how quickly they reacted and the protocol they followed.”
