For New Hampshire State Trooper Capt. Gregory Ferry, who officially retires on Nov. 1 but has already finished his last day of work, Milford will always be special to him. He grew up there and has remained close to many of his childhood friends.

He said he’s a proud Spartan, having been part of the 1984 championship football team. As for being a captain on the state police force, he has a lot of pride to spare for his career as well.

“I think what I am most proud of isn’t so much that the State Police changed who I am, I think who I was from the beginning really shaped me for how I conducted myself as a trooper,” he said. “It kept me grounded.”

Growing up in Milford, his father was an Episcopalian minister and his mother was an ICU nurse. Ferry has three brothers and he said they all entered some type of service.

“My dad was serving the community, my mom was serving patients, I was serving the citizens, and two of my brothers and myself all were in the military,” he said. “And my younger brother became a paraprofessional, working with children with intellectual disabilities. We all came from that vane of public service so that steered me in that direction.”

He pinpointed his desire to be a trooper to being in the fifth grade.

“Our school, Bales Elementary, would empty out to the sidewalk when the presidential motorcade was passing through town,” Ferry shared. “Prior to the motorcade arriving, I witnessed some 70 NHSP cruisers pass by as a show of respect and force. It left an indelible mark on me that set my future.”

Ferry said that there are parts of the job that he will certainly miss, namely working with his “outstanding colleagues.”

“That’s definitely what I’ll miss most,” he said. “Bar none.”

He called retiring from a career that he loved, an emotional process.

“I think with anyone who has invested that kind of time, 20-plus years, it is a process,” he said. “Being a trooper for me was a lifelong dream. I’m proud of what I hope was serving the job well. To that end, it has been emotional. The hardest part is deciding to go. My thought process was that I wanted to leave while I was still on top and still had something to offer.”

“I didn’t want to be ‘that guy’ who hung out too long,'” he said with a laugh.

Ferry said he worked midnights for years and recalled that his son, who is in his early 20s, has only known his dad working those hours and being a state trooper.

“He remembers me going to work at night or being called in during the middle of the night,” he said. “That was normal, watching me pull my cruiser in the driveway, and getting out with my K-9 partner (at the time).”

Ferry said though he has left the job, “there are parts of that job that will always stay with me. It has an effect on you.”

Now, he said he plans on spending more time with his wife of 27 years and with his three kids. He is a proud supporter of Special Olympics, of which, his 21-year old daughter Jillian is also an athlete.

And while many spouses of law enforcement officers worry – a good deal of that must come with the territory – Ferry said his wife was always completely supportive.

“She was strong in the sense that there could be happening out there on any given night,” he explained. “She managed that part very well. And while I was working with my K-9 partner, I was constantly being called into high-intensity situations. She might worry if I was running late, but she was great.”

Next for Ferry? He’s not sure but he’s exploring opportunities. As for his past?

“I have no regrets,” he said. “I feel like I left it all on the field and I’m looking to the next chapter in my life.”