A public service was held for the Calgary woman killed in a gas-and-dash incident last weekend.

About 300 people gathered for the "celebration of life" service for Maryam Rashidi at the Bowness Community Hall Saturday afternoon.

Rashidi, 35, died in hospital after being run over by a stolen truck last Sunday.

Several people took to the microphone to talk about Rashidi, even people who had never met her.

"Like a lot of you here, I did not know Maryam, but why does it feel like we lost a relative, a very close relative? What has happened here that made an entire city cry all together? What did Maryam do that made this city a much more compassionate city than it was last week?" said Saima Jamal.

Perhaps Calgarians related to Rashidi's courage and her dream of making a new life in Calgary, Jamal added.

Calgary-Hawkwood MLA Michael Connolly offered condolences on behalf of the provincial government.

"Maryam will not be forgotten," he said.

Rashidi, a processing engineer, was recently laid off. She took a job at a Centex gas station so the family could continue to live in their basement apartment and have food on the table.

She had been working as a gas station attendant for just three days when she chased the stolen truck out of the parking lot after the driver filled up with $113 of fuel and drove off without paying.

The company plans to implement "pay before you pump" systems at all of its gas stations.

Joshua Cody Mitchell, 20, is charged with criminal negligence causing death, dangerous driving causing death, hit and run causing death, and possession of stolen property over $5,000, and theft.