Judy Marek was described as a strong and giving person and avid Clemson fan.
Judy D. Marek, an engineering lecturer in Clemson's College of Engineering, Computing and Applied Sciences, died of brain cancer on Jan. 26, a university press release said.
Marek was 54 and a graduate of Clemson. The South Carolina native was a member of the Chi Omega sorority at Clemson.
Jonna Mcgrath Rowe, a close friend of Marek's from the church she attended in Georgia, said Marek spoke about Clemson "with a gleam in her eye and a smile on her face."
Rowe said Marek was the "glue" that kept their church group together and said she was a strong Christian.
"She was an amazing person and amazing friend," Rowe said. "We are going to have to adjust to a new normal without her."
Marek had always dreamed of going back to Clemson to teach. She started at the university in the fall and was diagnosed with brain cancer in October, Rowe said.
"It brought her joy and fulfilled her to give back to the school," Rowe said.
Before becoming a lecturer at Clemson, Marek worked as an adjunct instructor at Tri-County Technical College. Her career also involved experience at TailorMade Executive, Lucent Technologies, and AT&T Laboratories, according to her Clemson profile.
"A loss in the Clemson Family is felt by us all," Anand Gramopadhye, the dean of the College of Engineering, Computing and Applied Sciences, said in a statement. "On behalf of the college, I would like to extend our deepest sympathies to her family and friends."
Marek is survived by her mom, two children and her husband of 31 years, Todd Marek, who serves as executive director of the Watt Family Innovation Center.
Services for Marek are scheduled for 4 p.m. on Jan. 31 at East Cobb Presbyterian Church in Marietta, Georgia. In lieu of flowers, the family asked for donations to Clemson’s Women in Science and Engineering (WISE) program.
"I am in awe that they would choose our program," said Serita Acker, director for Programs for Educational Enrichment and Retention and WISE at Clemson. "I am really honored. She believed in the cause of women progressing in the STEM field and this is a testament to that."