MARY W. LOEWUS, 91, of Pullman, Washington, passed away peacefully March 12, 2014, at Bishop Place Senior Living in Pullman. Mary was born February 15, 1923 in Duluth, Minnesota. After graduating from high school in 1940, she attended the College of St. Scholastica in Duluth until 1943 and then worked in a steel plant chemical laboratory. In 1944, Mary moved to Minneapolis, using the money she had earned, to attend the University of Minnesota, receiving a B.S. in 1945, an M.S. in 1950 and PhD in biochemistry in 1953. There she met the love of her life, Frank, who passed away earlier this year. They married December 26, 1947. Mary worked at the University of California at Berkeley from 1955 to 1964, the State University of New York at Buffalo from 1964 to 1975, and Washington State University as a research associate from 1975 until her retirement in 1990. Together with Frank, she did ground-breaking work on the biochemistry of ascorbic acid (vitamin C) and myo-inositol. Mary loved crossword puzzles and word games. In 2002 she won the New Oxford American Dictionary Challenge, generously donating much of the prize money from Oxford University Press to the WSU Libraries. She was also a prolific writer, completing a biography of her beloved Aunt Vina, titled Wild Leeks from Unlabeled Seeds, and several unpublished novels. Mary is survived by her daughter Rivkah Loewus, her son and daughter-in-law David Loewus and Andrea Kirchner-Loewus, and her son Daniel Loewus, as well as six grandchildren. Mary was admired and loved deeply by every person she touched in her long life. No public services are planned at this time. Kimball Funeral Home of Pullman, WA is caring for the family. Online condolences may be sent to www.kimballfh.com