Marie Panec Marie Panec was loved by many, and her sudden death from a brain aneurism on May 3 at the age of 57 sent shockwaves through the community and into the hearts of those who knew her.

Tuesday, a memorial for Panec was held at St. Maximilian Kolbe Catholic Church in Thousand Oaks. In honor of her interfaith marriage, the Rev. Jarlath Dolan and Rabbi Alan Greenbaum presided over the memorial together.

Mary Rees, who served on the Oak Park school board with Panec and also taught with her at Moorpark College, joined current board member Jan Iceland in the eulogy.

Iceland said Marie possessed “uncommon intelligence” and always pursued higher goals. “She had to do more,” Iceland said.

Marie’s daughters, Michelle and Alicia Roll, spoke lovingly of their mother, whom they called their confidante, mentor, friend, and hero. Michelle Roll said publicly her mother was a force to be reckoned with, but in private she was vivacious, funny and “even silly.”

Alan Roll, Panec’s husband of 23 years, said people thought his family must have sacrificed a great deal because she gave so much to her job, community and myriad projects. But his wife gave as much, if not more, to her family, Roll said. She read every Harry Potter book to her daughters out loud, even when they were old enough to read on their own, he said.

Alan Roll joked that his wife was like a “pushy cheerleader.” Feeling ill and on her way to the hospital, Panec insisted that her husband first feed and water the family birds.

Father Dolan said life should be like an old tree, a branch here, a branch there. While it seems unnatural that a young tree dies, God had his reasons and “this is part of his plan.” “It’s up to us to keep that alive,” Dolan said.

Rabbi Greenbaum said Marie had “hutzpah,” which he jokingly defined as a Democrat who chooses to run for a Congressional seat in a conservative district against a longtime incumbent, and “thinking you could beat him.” Panec ran unsuccessfully in 2010 for nomination in the 24th Congressional District.

‘Strong, intelligent woman’

Panec taught biology at Moorpark College for 13 years, served as Life Sciences Department chair, curriculum committee co-chair, and industrial biotechnology program co-founder. She collaborated with colleagues to offer biotechnology workshops to secondary science teachers to introduce middle and high school students to biotechnology careers.

Panec was in her ninth year as an Oak Park Board of Education trustee. She was reelected in November, earning the most votes of the four candidates. She helped form the district’s Special Education Advisory Committee and helped create an anti-bullying campaign and a comprehensive Chinese language program.

Panec ran unsuccessfully in 2010 for the Democratic nomination in the 24th Congressional District, hoping to unseat incumbent Elton Gallegly.

Panec served on the Community Action of Ventura County board, on the Ventura County School Boards Association executive board, and on the Oak Park Recreation and Park Planning Committee.

She was a Girl Scout co-leader for her daughter’s troop and a volunteer teacher for afterschool elementary school science enrichment classes.

Panec and her husband melded Christian and Jewish values to establish a family ethic of service to others. She volunteered as a lector at St. Maximilian Kolbe Catholic Church and studied Torah weekly at Temple Adat Elohim in Thousand Oaks.

She had advanced degrees in education and science from California State University at Northridge, the University of San Diego, Wesleyan University, and the University of California, Davis. In 2007, she earned her doctorate in higher education from the University of Southern California.

Panec is survived by her husband, Alan Roll, and daughters, Michelle, who is graduating from Chapman University in two weeks, and Alicia, a University of California, Santa Cruz sophomore, as well as her parents, Don and Sherry Panec of Northridge, and her nine siblings.