Even after ticketing a speeding motorist, Roseville Police veteran Charles Knuthson usually managed to obtain the seemingly impossible.

"He just treated them with respect, and he always said he got a 'thank you,' whenever he gave anyone a ticket," said his wife, Paula.

It's not the typical response a cop receives, but it came regularly for Knuth-son, a longtime Roseville Police captain who had a hand in helping the department achieve many of its key milestones.

Knuthson died Wednesday following a 2 1/2-year battle with colon cancer. He was 61.

A veteran of the Vietnam War, where he served in the Army, Knuthson spent 29 years with the Roseville Police Department — the last 20 of them as a captain — until his retirement in 2002.

During his tenure, Knuthson saw service in many areas of the organization, even briefly as an interim police chief. He helped launch its youth services division, traffic and crime analysis unit, and was the department's internal point man on the construction of its Junction Boulevard headquarters, which was completed in 1998.

"He really enjoyed helping people," Paula said. "A lot of time people think cops only want to write tickets and arrest you, but they also do so much else."

That was especially true for Knuthson, who earned a reputation outside of the department as an expert in genealogy, an interest sparked by his membership in the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Knuthson, who taught genealogical research at Sierra and American River colleges and served on several genealogical organizations' boards, lectured nationally on the subject.

"There's a lot of detective work when you're doing research and it's just like the detective work you do when you're a cop," Paula said.

From the start of his career with the department, it was clear his tenure would be a memorable one.

Finishing his first day on the job, Knuthson was called to an incident that's become a part of local legend: the March 3, 1973 explosions near the Roseville rail yard, where 21 freight cars packed with bombs destined for Vietnam blasted the surrounding (and then-unpopulated) area of Antelope.

"He always said he had an exploding beginning," Paula said.

Those who served on the force with him recalled a detail-oriented professional who never lost his love for being out on the beat.

"He was a captain for a long time, but he was absolutely a street cop at heart," said longtime friend and former Roseville Police Chief John Barrow. "Anytime he'd be going to a meeting or going to lunch, if he heard a call on the radio and he could get there before anyone else, he'd be first one there or he'd be there to back up another officer. Patrol work was really his passion."

Knuthson was awarded a bronze medal of valor by the Placer County Law Enforcement Association for his response to the tragedy of Feb. 10, 1995, when a mentally unstable gunman entered the Police Department lobby brandishing a gun. An unarmed Knuthson confronted the gunman. In the confusion that followed, Officer Mark White was fatally shot by another officer; Knuthson performed CPR on White until paramedics arrived.

Former Chief Tom Simms immediately assigned Knuthson the heavy task of organizing the arrangements.

"It was most difficult thing I had ever gone through but Chuck did a wonderful job pulling it together," Simms said.

His efforts revealed the gentler nature behind what some, particularly younger officers, described as a "gruff" demeanor, Simms said.

"He had that side to him, but I had a chance to see another part that was so caring and compassionate," Simms said.

Knuthson, who has five children with his previous wife, Merle, was also an avid outdoorsman and an umpire for Roseville Little League District 54.

Services were held Tuesday. Donations in memory of Knuthson can be made to the Kaiser Permanente Hospice Program, 2025 Morse Ave., Sacramento CA 95625.