Charles A. Gridley

Charles Alfred Gridley, son of Ken and Barbara Gridley, passed away on November 21, 2021 at 82 years old after a long illness. Charlie was born in Portland, Maine on April 22, 1939. At a very young age Charlie’s family moved from Maine to Concord, NH where he grew up and attended grade school. After graduating from Concord High School in 1957 he enlisted the U.S. Air Force and was stationed in Amarillo, Texas. He served during the Cuban Missile Crisis as a munitions Chief on B-52’s. It was in Texas where he met and married the love of his life, Mary. Upon their return to New Hampshire, Charlie enlisted with the New Hampshire State Police in 1963. After his probationary period in the Concord area, he was assigned to Troop F in Twin Mountain, NH patrolling the region from Ashland to Lincoln, NH. Many years later he was assigned to Headquarters where he worked in the Aviation Unit and as the Division Quartermaster until he retired in 1999 after serving 36 years. Charlie loved sports, hunting, fishing and woodworking. You could always find him ice fishing on Mirror Lake. He also loved photography and was a published photographer. He never travelled anywhere without his camera. Charlie loved his family and most of all, he loved his wife Mary. They were inseparable. Charlie is predeceased by his daughter Justine Renee Gridley and parents Ken and Barbara Gridley and sister Linda Gridley Hill. He is survived by wife Mary Gridley, his son and daughter Michael Gridley and Tara Herzog, and his four grandchildren, Johann Herzog and his wife Leslie, Christian Herzog and his fiancé Allie McMahon, Hannah Herzog, and Rachel Gannon and her husband Ryan In lieu of flowers the family asks that you make any donations in his memory to a charity for children or the hungry this time of year. The holiday season was always special to Charlie and he always made sure there was food on the table for family and friends. If you can, please make a donation to the NH Food Bank (or your local food bank) and to the Toys for Tots Campaign. The NH State Police will be hosting several events around the state thru December 10th to collect new, unwrapped toys for children in need for this holiday season.