Emanuel Ezra Nosowsky

With profound grief we announce the passing of Manny Nosowsky, 94, of San Francisco, who died like he sometimes lived-fighting the inevitable-on May 20th, surrounded by family.

Manny was born in San Francisco to Yehoshua ("Ben") Gershon Z"L and Yocheved ("Julia") Z"L Nosowsky, where Ben served as chazzan at Congregation Beth Sholom and elsewhere in the Bay Area for more than a decade. In middle school, he moved with his parents and his older sister, Miriam, to St. Paul, Minnesota, where he tolerated Upper Midwest winters only as long as absolutely necessary to complete college and medical school at the University of Minnesota. He did a stint in New York as a medical intern at Kings County Hospital in Brooklyn and a first-year surgical resident at the Manhattan V.A. Hospital. It was in New York that he met his future wife Debby on a blind date. Before continuing his medical training, he served as a Captain in the U.S. Air Force in Fairbanks, Alaska (despite having committed to never suffering another real winter), where he coached the first Fairbanks bar mitzvah. From there, he moved to Los Angeles to complete his residency and eventually served as Chief Resident in Urology at UCLA. Subsequently, he and Debby lived in the Conejo Valley, and after a few years of private practice (it wasn't for him), they settled back in his beloved hometown, San Francisco, where he joined the Kaiser Permanente Medical Group and spent the remainder of his career.

He might have been an English major, but he pursued a career in medicine as the safer path, and he loved being a surgeon. After he retired, he tutored adults learning to read, took up photography, and for years, attended classes at the Fromm Institute for Lifelong Learning. He also tried to become a DIYer, but as he quickly learned, "a house only needs so many shelves." And that was when he found the construction project he was destined for. While Debby had since childhood been a devotee of the New York Times crossword puzzle, Manny began solving-and eventually constructing-crossword puzzles himself: first for Stan Newman's "Crossworder's Own Newsletter," and then in the New York Times under the editorship of Eugene Maleska. There his renegade spirit soon found expression: he was part of an avant garde of cruciverbalists who thought puzzles should rely on wit rather than a knowledge of obscure alternate spellings-hello, Aare, we see you! He had found his purpose: always a master of words and a lover of puns ("Summers in San Francisco?" yup, "Mist opportunities."), he became a prolific contributor to the New York Times under editor Will Shortz, usually confined, to his dismay, to the soul-crushing Friday and Saturday puzzles. He made a cameo appearance in the bonus features of the documentary WordPlay, where he discussed his record-breaking puzzle that contained only 19 black squares. When a stroke severely limited his ability to read and write, he stopped creating puzzles. In 2017, he became the second recipient of the Merl Reagel MEmoRiaL Award for Lifetime Achievement in crossword construction.

Manny will be remembered for his sharp sense of humor, his brilliant mind, his streak of mischievousness (yes, he woke up some young guests in the house with a few fire crackers), and his keen interest in why you might hold the opinions you do, as his children's friends can still attest. He always had his facts straight, but he loved people who don't let facts get in the way of a good story. Until he was quite old he could sing "Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star" to you in Latin. He loved the beach and a good book, and had a passion for games including poker, bridge, chess and Monopoly. He loved going to Lands End at Ocean Beach, eating lunch at the Beach Chalet or a hot dog at Red's Java House with Debby, and he was a loyal fan of the 49ers and the Giants, enjoying the occasional game at Candlestick- even in the cold and fog, like a real San Franciscan.

He is survived by his wife of 61 years, Debby; his children, Rachel (Jim Govert) and Ethan (Cristina Mueller); and his grandchildren, Aaron, Hannah, Sara, Olive, and Rosie. He was preceded in death by his parents, Ben and Julia; and his sister, Miriam.

Funeral and Shiva Information A funeral service will be held on Tuesday, May 26th at 11:00am at graveside at the Home of Peace Cemetery, 1299 El Camino Real, Colma, California. Shiva details will be shared with the family, friends, and community.

In lieu of food or flowers, the family encourages mourners to make contributions in Manny's memory to the American Heart Association or the Fromm Institute for Lifelong Learning at University of San Francisco.

May his memory be a blessing.