Santa Clarita City Councilman Bob Kellar was already back in his office this week but taking it easy after suffering a heart attack early Friday morning.

“Yes, I’m still with you, but according to the doctor, I came very close to being on the other side,” Kellar said Wednesday morning.

Kellar and his wife Kathy had driven about four hours Thursday to June Lake on “a fishing trip for Bob and a spa day for me,” she said.

“We got up there Thursday afternoon and he was fine,” she said. “We had a nice afternoon and a little dinner that night and then he woke up in the middle of the night with some chest discomfort.”

“When those symptoms hit me between 12 and 1 o’clock Friday morning, I realized I was sweating and had all the classic symptoms of a heart attack,” said Kellar, who is 74.

He said he took some Advil, which made the symptoms go away (note: Advil is not good for heart attacks, according to medical professionals).

“But I knew it still wasn’t right,” he said. “I was able to go back to sleep for a couple hours and when I woke up I told Kathy, ‘We need to get down to Henry Mayo.'”

“I would have called 911 if we thought it had been more urgent,” she said. “But there’s something about being home where you have that beautiful cath lab and know the doctors at Henry Mayo.

“So we drove back down — about four hours,” she said. “He kept saying. ‘I’m fine, I’m fine.’ About an hour out, I alerted Marlee Lauffer at Henry Mayo that we were coming into the ER. They admitted him and a wonderful cardiologist from UCLA, Dr. Lee, set him up for an angioplasty Saturday morning, where they do the dye and everything. They found that he indeed had a blockage and put in a stent. Modern medicine is incredible.”

“According to the doctor, I had a 99 percent blockage,” Kellar said. “He said it’s the one they call ‘The Widowmaker.’ I could not have been more appreciative and pleased with Henry Mayo (Newhall) Hospital and all of the people there. I just can’t say enough good things about them. All I know is that it’s a few days later and I’m sitting here talking to you. So thank you, Henry Mayo, and thank you, Lord, for looking down on me.”

Kathy Kellar said Bob came home from the hospital Sunday, “and he’s doing fine. He just has to take it easy. I try not to nag him too much. But just call me ‘Nurse Ratched.’ My niece is a cardiac nurse and she’s been great so I have all the information about the medicines and everything.”

Kellar was back in his office Monday morning.

“Going back to work is part of MY therapy,” he said. “I’ve still got responsibilities. I run a real estate company and have people that depend on me. I also have my responsibilities at City Hall and I’m not going to ignore those. But am I going to cut back on some of the social activities and events for a while? Yes. I didn’t make the VIA luncheon yesterday which I normally attend, and I’m not going to make it to the Carousel Ranch event on Saturday. That’s pushing the envelope. I know it’ll be hot, that I’d be doing some walking. It’s just not smart.”

Kellar said his doctor ordered him to take it easy for four to six weeks.

“I’m going to lie low but by no means is it going to stop me from my responsibilities at City Hall,” he said. “I will be at the next City Council meeting on Tuesday night. I’m going to be prepared and fulfill my responsibilities. But I’m not going to do physical work for a while. The doctor made it clear that I’m not to pick up anything weighing more than 20 pounds.

“Steve, I have no choice, I’m going to follow what the doctor said and go easy on the physical activities,” Kellar said. “But sitting here at my desk and talking to you and getting into my computer and trying to address the issues that I need to address is not a problem. My work days will be very short for a couple of weeks, though. I’ll probably be home by 1 o’clock or 2 o’clock today at the latest. I’m basically sitting with my feet up, not doing physical stuff.”

Both Kellars were overwhelmed by the community’s good wishes. “The outpouring of love and kindness extended by people in the community, many that we don’t even know, makes us feel really good,” she said.

“I was thinking about that last night and I’m thinking about it today,” he said. “Last night around 7 I was talking on the phone about 15 minutes, and in that 15 minutes, I had 11 texts and messages. I gotta tell you, I got a little choked up. I thought, ‘Gee whiz, look at all these people reaching out to me and giving me well wishes.’ I can’t tell you how much I love this town and the people in it.

“And I promise you,” Kellar said, “I’m not done yet.”