Charles Bruce "Chuck" MacFarland passed away at home on January 12, 2026, after a heartbreaking and dizzying battle with Parkinson's Disease and Lewy Body Dementia.

Chuck was born June 30, 1956, in Townshend, VT, the youngest child of Douglas Andrew and Beatrice (Shine) MacFarland. He grew up in Newfane, a charmed childhood in a picturesque Vermont village. He attended Brattleboro Union High School, graduating in 1973, and worked for a year before attending Brown University. He loved his time at Brown. He attended from 1974 to 1978, earning a Bachelor of Arts in Political Science and making lifelong friends.

Chuck met his wife and love of his life, Jane (Howe), when her family moved to Newfane in 1967. They began dating during high school and married in August 1978 in Wardsboro, VT. For the first year of their marriage, they lived in Freeport, NY while Jane finished graduate school, before settling in Rhode Island where they eventually began their family. Meghan was born in 1983 and Brit in 1986. In November 1985, they found their permanent home in Pawtucket, RI, just up the road from Brown. Chuck was a truly devoted family man and loved being so. He was a coach for Brit's team in the Woodlawn Little League, he supported Meghan's theatrical endeavors, and was endlessly and consistently supportive of both children, confident they could do or be whatever they wanted. He also loved being part of his larger family, keeping in touch with his Vermont roots with regular trips north.

In 2003, Chuck and Jane took on stewardship of Chuck's maternal family homestead, "Shine's Knoll" in Wardsboro, VT and they spent many, many happy days there. Chuck particularly loved being on the land at the Knoll, spending hours out on the riding lawnmower, sitting quietly and watching the fish in the pond, hooting at the bears, or watching the birds.

Professionally, Chuck landed in a career in computer programming. He spent twenty-five years working for L.R. McCoy, a lumber distribution company in Worcester, MA. He held several positions with McCoy and ultimately stayed with them until the company's final days. He ended his career with Cathedral Corporation in Lincoln, RI, retiring on February 22, 2022.

To know Chuck was to love and laugh with Chuck. He was fun-loving and funny, quick-witted and clever, with a mischievous sense of humor. He found reasons to laugh easily and often, with his bright eyes sparkling. He also had a strong moral compass and was a man of great integrity and principle with an unflagging sense of right and wrong. He was deeply loyal, both professionally and personally, and had an incredibly strong work ethic. He was an ardent and fanatical fan of New England sports, and would delight in talking stats and games and history with anyone willing to engage. It was a particular heartbreak for him to lose his ability to banter about all things sports as his disease progressed. He was an avid reader and lover of books, often picking up a new release and devouring it in one or two sittings, and then sharing it with Meghan or a friend. He delighted in puzzles - sudoku, crosswords, the NY Times Wordle and Spelling Bee, and others - usually completing them in ink. He enjoyed playing golf with buddies, trying his luck at the casino, and he looked forward to trips with Jane and their dear friends. He adored spending time with his grandsons, taking any and all opportunities to do so.

He is predeceased by his parents, his brother Andrew MacFarland, and his sisters, Mary Jane Williams and Dawn MacFarland. He is survived by Jane, his wife of 47 years; his devoted children, Meghan (Derek) MacFarland Smith and Brit MacFarland; his beloved grandsons, Maximus and Rockford; his sisters Kay (Bill) Stringer and Gail Turner; sister-in-law Nancy Polseno; brother-in-law Joel (Linda) Howe; as well as dozens of nieces, nephews, grand-nieces and nephews, and wonderful friends. The legacy Chuck leaves is the genuine love he had for his family, his tremendous wit and intelligence, his voracious appetite for reading (especially mystery thrillers), his gift for both wordplay and numbers, endless movie quotes and favorite sayings, and the laughter he shared with so many.

There will be a memorial service on Sunday February 8, 2026, at the First Unitarian Church of Providence at 2: 00 pm. There will be a second celebration of life in Newfane, VT sometime in the spring. All are welcome. Donations in his memory can be made to the Rhode Island American Parkinson's Disease Association.

Flowers order on this site after 12:00 noon on Thursday, February 5, 2026, will be presented to the family at a date after the service.