William McKenzie “Mack” Woodward died Wednesday, September 30, 2026, at his home in North Providence. Born August 15, 1950, in Nacogdoches, Texas, he was the son of the late Myrtis Elizabeth Bryan and the late Walter Kelso Woodward. He was the husband of Joseph J. Handly. He graduated from Robert E. Lee High School in Houston, Texas in 1968, and Washington and Lee University in Lexington, Virginia in 1972, where he majored in European history.

This love of European history drew him to Brown University where he received his Master of Arts (A.M.) in the History of Art and Architecture in 1975. Mack traveled to Florence, Italy as part of this program to study the famous ceiling frescos in the Pitti Palace’s Palatine Gallery.

Upon completing his A.M., Mack got his first and only job at the Rhode Island Historical Preservation & Heritage Commission, retiring as Principal Architectural Historian in 2014. He wrote extensively on architectural history; his publications include six of the Commission’s surveys of historic resources, scholarly contributions to museum catalogues, the Society of Architectural Historian’s Buildings on Paper: Rhode Island Architectural Drawings, the PPS/AIAri Guide to Providence Architecture, Westerly-Pawcatuck Walks, and articles in the Providence Journal.

He also lectured widely about urban and rural topics throughout southern New England. His work was nationally recognized by awards from the American Association for State and Local History (AASLH) and the Society of Architectural Historians (SAH). In 2014, he received the Rhody Award for Historic Preservation, recognizing his encyclopedic knowledge of Rhode Island’s architectural heritage together with his significant contributions helping to lay the foundations for historic preservation in Providence today. He also was a member, friend, volunteer, advisor, and Board Trustee of the Providence Preservation Society for many years, beginning in 1976. In short, if someone needed to know anything about Rhode Island architecture, the quickest and most reliable source was Mack!

Mack is survived by his husband, Joseph J. Handly. Together they lovingly restored a 1767 farmhouse in North Providence and made it their home. He is also survived by his daughter, Julia H. Woodward, of Whitinsville, Massachusetts; his sister, Lois S. Woodward and his brother-in-law, Henry F. Hughes, of Birmingham, Alabama; his nieces, Margaret W. Hughes, of Highland, New York, and Elizabeth W. Hughes, of Berlin, Germany; his former sister-in-law, Linda M. Jacobs, of Fort Myers, Florida, and her daughters, Elizabeth C. Wrenn, of Cranston, Rhode Island, and Jennifer C. Carroll, of Brittany, France; and many beloved cousins.

A memorial service will be held on Friday, October 9, 2026, at 11 a.m., in Grace Episcopal Church, 300 Westminster Street, Providence. An informal luncheon will be held in the Pavillion at the church immediately following the service, beginning around 12:30 p.m. and is open to all who wish to join in a celebration of Mack’s life.

Instead of flowers, those who wish to honor Mack are encouraged to make donations to the Providence Preservation Society, 24 Meeting Street Providence, RI 02903.

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