Edward Otis Handy Jr.

1929 - 2018

Handy, Jr., Edward Otis
Edward Otis Handy, Jr., better known as Ned, died Tuesday in Barnstable, Massachusetts, after a long bout with old age and related infirmities. Eighty-nine years old, he was born on January 9, 1929 in Akron, Ohio to Edward Otis Handy and Alice Saalfield Handy.
He graduated from Milton Academy in 1947, from Harvard College in 1951, and, after two years in the Marines, from Harvard Law School in 1956. He was an artillery officer in the Korean War and, after a term in the reserves, retired as a captain. He worked in Providence, Rhode Island for Textron, Inc. from 1959 to 1991, retiring as Secretary and Vice President. During his years in Providence, there was a strong preservation movement on the East Side. He was active in the restoration of two antique houses.
His passionate loves included his extraordinary wife, Susan Eastabrooks Handy; his four children, Susan Sutton Handy Littlefield (Susie) and her husband, John Littlefield; John Eastabrooks Handy (Jeb) and his wife, Patsy; Edward Otis Handy III (Ned) and his wife, Polly; and Seth Howland Handy and his wife, Charlotte; twelve grandchildren, Susie's children, Alex and his wife, Valerie Gnaedig; Ned and his wife, Danya; and Cate; Jeb's children, Connor and his fiancée, Caroline Logan; Brooks; and Grace; Ned's children, Sam, Otis, and Macy; and Seth's children, Ben, Lucy, and Alice; his dog, Braley; many great friends; and life itself. All these loves survive him.
His interests included tennis, golf, carving decorative and useful decoys, bird watching, Barnstable, and Sandy Neck, about which he wrote two books: Barnstable Village, West Barnstable and Sandy Neck and The Little House at Sandy Neck. His writings also include a children's book, On Christmas Farm, and many poems that he loved to present to friends and family.
At various times he served on boards of not-for-profit organizations, including: the Providence Athenaeum, for years as its president; the Rhode Island Zoological Society; the Sturgis Library; the Barnstable Historical Society, of which he was president; the Cahoon Museum of American Art; the Rhode Island Audubon Society; and the Barnstable Yacht Club. While he was president of the Athenaeum, he led a substantial fund drive and the construction of a new children's wing. While he was president of the Barnstable Historical Society, funds were raised to replace the fence around the Trayser Museum. He was an Artist Member of the Providence Art Club and the Cape Cod Art Association (although an infrequent producer), and a member of various charities to which he made modest contributions.
Memorial gifts, if any, should be given to the Unitarian Church of Barnstable or a charity of choice that dedicates its activities to the ongoing interests of Barnstable. A memorial service will be held in Barnstable at the Unitarian Church at 11 am on May 5th.