Gus Vaselaros, a retired Baltimore County police detective who enjoyed working in his yard, died Friday of natural causes at his Towson home. He was 74.
His son, William Keith Vaselaros of Sykesville, said his father had suffered in recent years from heart disease.
The son of Pete Vaselaros and Dorothy Vaselaros, restaurant owners, Gus Vaselaros was born in Baltimore and raised in the city's Irvington neighborhood.
He was a 1958 graduate of Polytechnic Institute, where he played football and baseball.
After serving two years in the Air Force, he enrolled at the University of Baltimore, where he studied accounting. He joined the Baltimore County Police Department in 1968.
Mr. Vaselaros spent 20 years as a robbery detective and retired in 1996.
"He was known for his ability to solve unsolvable cases and obtain confessions from the most persistent suspects," his son said. "All he needed was a pack of cigarettes and the opportunity to sit down with the alleged perpetrator. He had a great ability to communicate and relate to people of all classes."
Mr. Vaselaros often told his son to use "empathy" and try to put yourself in the "other person's shoes."
Because of his ability to successfully resolve cases that baffled other police officers, colleagues often went to Mr. Vaselaros for advice, his son said.
"He was an old-fashioned investigator who found the needed information from within the community," his son said.
Mr. Vaselaros enjoyed hunting, fishing and crabbing. He enjoyed doing yardwork at a second home he owned on Elliott Island in Dorchester County.
Funeral services will be held at 10:30 a.m. Thursday at the Ruck Towson Funeral Home, 1050 York Road.
In addition to his son, Mr. Vaselaros is survived by his wife of 19 years, the former Terri Foos; two daughters, Chrissy Vaselaros-Stevenson and Nicole Vaselaros, both of Lusby; two stepsons, Bradley Mattison of Cecil County and Christopher Mattison of Perry Hall; a brother, William Vaselaros of Catonsville; seven grandchildren; and two great-grandchildren. His 1961 marriage to the former Gale Parr ended in divorce.