Tulsa homicide detectives remember coworker, friend who passed away from cancer: 'To know John, is to love John'

Family, friends and Tulsa Police officers are remembering longtime Tulsa Homicide Detective John Brown who passed away this week from cancer.

John served more than 35 years with Tulsa Police, with 13 of those years working on homicides. He was also a well-known face on A&E's show, The First 48.

We talked with two of his long-time friends and partners in the homicide unit, who say John was an inspiration to them all.

PREVIOUS STORY: Longtime Tulsa police homicide detective John Brown, featured on 'The First 48,' dies after cancer battle

A Courageous Battle with Cancer:

Detective John Brown spent a lot of his time at the office, solving murders, even during his battle with cancer. His coworkers say he never complained about what he was going through.

"Never ever one time did he complain about how he was feeling or his condition so I made sure I, even if I didn't feel good coming to work, I never complained about it because he's going through something a lot worse than I'm going to," said Detective Reggie Warren.

"It wasn't poor me, this is happening to me, it was hey, I'm living life. I'm going to live it to the fullest, I'm going to fight this and we will go form there," said Detective Mark Kennedy.

35 Years of Service to Tulsa:

"To know John, is to love John," is how homicide detectives Reggie Warren and Mark Kennedy describe him. He was sincere and compassionate but would tell you how it is.

"Amazing, wonderful. A good man. It's the type of guy you want if you had a big brother," said Warren.

Mark and John went through the academy together 36 years ago, worked in several units together, and spent the last 13 years solving murders together.

"We grew up together on this department basically. It's hard because we planned on retiring together next year," said Kennedy.

EXTENDED INTERVIEW with detectives Warren and Kennedy below.

They were often called the old married couple in the office.

"Two old men on a park bench is the way we refer to them, is two old men on a park bench and it can get funny sometimes," said Warren.

Working in homicide is nearly a 24/7 job. Detectives can get called in at any time of day or night, meaning they spend a lot of time together.

"We spend as much time with our squad mates as we do at home. Sometimes more. That bond can never be broken," said Kennedy.

Mark and Reggie say John had a unique ability to get people to talk to him.

"He's also compassionate. He had compassion to victims and he showed even suspects respect," said Kennedy.

A family man:

John loved his job and loved getting justice for victims but anyone who knew him knew his family came first. He loved his wife Kathy, three kids and five grandkids.

"He loves his grandkids. He was very proud of them. If you look at his desk there's pictures of them everywhere. He's got a rotating screen player on his computer that shows his grandkids. He was a family man," said Kennedy.

One of John's daughters says: "He was a great detective and an amazing dad, but he was born to be a grandpa. He loved his grandkids more than anything in the world.

His youngest daughter says: "He was my literal hero, our rock, and our mom’s protector. Growing up with him was honestly fun. Yes, just like you see on The First 48 — if we got in trouble, he could be stern — but outside of that, he was such a goofball. He made everything an adventure, always joking around, always making us laugh. He protected us, and made sure we knew we were loved, and always showed up. He wasn’t just a good cop — he was an incredible dad."

John loved his wife and family, his community and his brothers in blue.

"Hands down is the nicest person I've ever met," said Warren.

"There's been more than one time he's had to have my back and there's nobody else I would want out there to have my back. That tells you a lot. You don't trust your back just to anybody," said Kennedy.

Supporting the family:

A GoFundMe has been set up to help the family with funeral expenses. TAP HERE.