Jean-Marc Bollag Obituary

Jean-Marc Bollag CHARLESTON - Jean-Marc Bollag passed away peacefully surrounded by family on August 14, 2022 in Charleston, South Carolina at the age of 87. His parents were the late Marcel and Renee (Levy) Bollag. He leaves behind his wife of 62 years, Brigitte, along with 4 children and 11 grandchildren: Judy Gergick (Steve) of Goose Creek, SC and children, Lauren, Nathan and Lucy; Daniel Bollag (Wendy) of Taftsville, VT and children, Russell, Ian, Kit and Mikaela; Roni Bollag (Wendy) of Martinez, GA and children, Katie (Michael) and Anna; Gideon Bollag (Sue) of Orinda, CA and children, Sophia and Marcel. In addition, he is survived by his sister, Jacqueline Duerr (Ulrich) of Basel Switzerland. Born on February 19, 1935 in Basel, Switzerland, Jean-Marc ultimately achieved a PhD in botany from the University of Basel. He and Brigitte subsequently moved to Israel, initially to kibbutz Bar-Am and then he was working at the Weizmann Institute in Rehovot. He relocated his family to the United States in 1965, where he completed his post-doctoral studies at Cornell University in Ithaca, New York. In 1967, Jean-Marc joined the faculty at Penn State University in State College, Pennsylvania, where he attained many accolades before retiring in 2002 as Professor Emeritus. He focused on sustainable agriculture, and specialized in understanding the environmental consequences of pesticides and other pollutants. In retirement, Jean-Marc remained busy, spending part of each year at his beloved home in Maui, Hawaii. He traveled all around the world for both work and pleasure, and loved good food and drink, particularly red wine (indeed he was a certified sommelier), and festive occasions with friends and family. Throughout his life, family was always most important, and Jean-Marc relished the times he could spend with his children and grandchildren. In 2018, he and Brigitte relocated to Charleston, SC. In memory of Jean-Marc, contributions may be made to The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society, and/or perhaps buy a nice bottle of wine to share with friends and family. If you decide to share a bottle of wine, please take a picture and send to [email protected]. Visit our guestbook at legacy.com/obituaries/charleston