For most people making it to retirement is a feat unto itself. 

But San Joaquin County Sheriff’s Deputy Terry Spears wanted to go a little bit further than that. 

On Tuesday, the longtime public servant finally walked away from his law enforcement career exactly five decades after it began. 

Spears – who worked for seven different San Joaquin County Sheriff’s during his tenure – was deputized on May 7, 1969 and waited 50 years before hanging up his duty belt and moving on to enjoy his twilight years. 

In a brief post that the San Joaquin County Sheriff’s Office made on their Facebook page wishing their longtime friend happiness in retirement, Spears was quoted as saying that he was “as enthusiastic about my job on the last day as I was on the first day.”

He was most recently assigned to the courthouse unit, serving as a bailiff at the new courthouse building – which just recently replaced the building next door that was in use just slightly longer that Spears worked for San Joaquin County. 

To contact reporter Jason Campbell email jcampbell@mantecabulletin.com or call 209.249.3544.