Manny Nosowsky, a renowned creator of New York Times crossword puzzles, passed away on Wednesday in San Francisco at the age of 94. His wife, Debby Nosowsky, confirmed his death, which occurred at a hospital.

Nosowsky, who started as a urologist, became a prolific puzzle maker, leaving a significant mark on the world of crosswords. During nearly two decades of creativity, he charmed puzzle enthusiasts with his clever and pun-filled puzzles.

Having worked in medicine for around 20 years, Nosowsky faced unexpected health challenges, leading him to retire from urology in 1983 at the age of 51. After giving up his medical career, Nosowsky encountered the common challenge of finding new activities post-retirement.

He began solving crossword puzzles with his wife, which soon sparked his interest. Wondering how these puzzles were crafted, he embarked on creating his own. His work found its way into the Crossworder’s OWN Newsletter, setting the stage for his first puzzle to be published by The Times in 1992, under the crosswords editor Eugene T. Maleska.

Initially, Nosowsky constructed his puzzles by hand using graph paper. Although he later transitioned to constructing software on a computer, he continued to manually fill out the grids and crafted all his clues. This dedication ensured his puzzles retained the personal wit and humor that technology alone could not replicate.