Agnes Pulay's Obituary
The family of Agnes Pulay, née Kovacs, is deeply saddened to announce her passing on June 24, 2024. She lived a private life but was an exemplar of selflessness and kindness.
Born in Eger, Hungary, on September 15, 1939, Agnes began life under the threat of war and spent her youth under the Communist regime. She adored her parents, especially her father, an engineer. When her favorite childhood book was lost as her family fled Transylvania during the war, her father drew and illustrated a replacement from memory.
Agnes excelled in school and earned a master’s degree in organic chemistry from Eotvos L. University (Budapest) in 1963. It was in studying chemistry that she met her future spouse, Peter Pulay. She worked at the Isotope Institute of the Hungarian Academy of Sciences, synthesizing carbon-14 labelled molecules, before she moved to the U.S. with her husband and two children in 1980, first to Austin, Texas, and later to Fayetteville. She worked as a research associate for Rowland Pettit at the University of Texas and for Arthur Fry at the University of Arkansas, continuing the isotope synthesis work.
Never one for public acts, she would make all sacrifices for those closest to her. Although she was naturally afraid of animals, she accepted a cat (later three) for the children’s sake, then other animals, including snakes, turtles, and a pet tarantula.
She was very much interested in politics and closely followed national and international news on TV and the Internet.
She took an intense joy in her grandchildren, loving them gently and always accommodating their whims, earning the nickname “Nana the Nice.” On her deathbed, when she was not cognizant of much, the names of her grandchildren brought a smile to her lips. She was preceded in death by her father Ferenc Kovács, her mother Margit, her brother Dénes Kovács, an uncle, and three aunts. She is survived by her husband of nearly 54 years, Peter Pulay, her son Robert B. Pulay, her daughter Emoke (Mark Cherry) Pulay, and her grandchildren, Ophelia Cherry-Pulay and Clio Cherry-Pulay.
Visitation will be from 2:00 to 3:00 at Moore Chapel in Fayetteville on Monday, July 1, 2024, followed by a funeral service at 3:00. Memorial contributions may be made to the Salvation Army, her favorite charity.
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