Kaden Christopher Murphy

Kaden Christopher Murphy, 23, of Overland Park, Kansas, passed away unexpectedly on Sunday, September 13, 2026.

Known to nearly everyone as “Murph,” Kaden entered the world on January 28, 2003, in Overland Park with curly hair, round cheeks and big brown eyes. He grew into an intelligent, resourceful, fiercely independent young man who was never afraid to figure something out for himself, get his hands dirty or do things his own way.

From an early age, Kaden loved taking things apart just to see how they worked—and, usually, figuring out how to put them back together. That curiosity became a natural mechanical ability and love of working with his hands. He spent countless hours on jobsites and in garages, building model cars, racing gas-powered RC cars, working on boats and engines, installing car stereos and maintaining his own vehicles. As a young teenager he was already operating equipment on jobsites, and later took particular pride in work that put him behind the controls of a mini-excavator or forklift.

Kaden loved his vehicles almost as much as he loved working on them. It started with the Cadillac his dad found for him in Iowa. Kaden impatiently tracked the miles as his dad drove it home, already anxious to start making modifications. A Nissan Altima followed, then an Acura he never quite got over getting rid of, and finally his Ford F-150. His obsession with keeping them spotless earned him the family nickname “I Keeps It Clean” Murphy. If one of Kaden’s vehicles was actually dirty, the family might reasonably wonder whether he was feeling all right. And if he had installed the stereo himself, there was a good chance you heard Murph coming before you saw him.

Subtle wasn’t really Kaden’s style.

He accumulated enough sunglasses to rival a Sunglass Hut. He loved Nike hoodies and Air Jordans and owned more pairs of J’s than anyone cared to count. His grandmother, “Gran,” as he called her, loved buying him jewelry which helped earn him another family nickname, “Three Chains.” Then there were the sleeveless shirts he cut nearly to the waist—his infamous “titty tops”—which, as one might imagine, were not among his mother’s favorite fashion choices. Even his Kansas City Chiefs gear got the full Murph treatment: coordinated jerseys, visors or headbands, sunglasses and matching shoes.

Some of Kaden’s happiest memories were made outdoors and on the water. He grew up camping and boating with family and friends, serving as the family’s self-appointed campfire chief. Family lake trips took him to Grand Lake, Beaver Lake, Table Rock Lake and countless days at Clinton Lake, along with favorite float trips in Noel, Missouri.

As he grew older, Kaden became an exceptional first mate and boat hand, someone the family could count on to troubleshoot and repair just about anything. Eventually younger brother Dash joined the operation too. When a space was too tight for the older guys, little brother got handed a wrench and talked through the job. It became a familiar family scene: the three boys working on the boat while Mom played family detective, sniffing out the latest boat parts and, most recently, the new stereo equipment Kaden installed.

Kaden was just as comfortable behind the boat. Athletic and competitive, he became notoriously difficult to throw from a tube, even standing upright while being pulled across the water. Naturally, Dash eventually tried to follow his big brother’s example. One of Dash’s favorite memories is trying to stand with Kaden before both brothers finally crashed into the water.

That relationship meant the world to Dash. Twelve years apart in age, the two were unquestionably brothers. Dash loved watching Kaden play Xbox; when Dash was too little to actually play, Kaden would hand him a controller without batteries and let him sit beside him believing he was part of the game. As Dash grew older, they really did game together, threw the football and shared Kaden’s time as an assistant coach on Dash’s flag football team. Kaden taught Dash how to properly hold a football -something his little brother will carry with him every time he picks one up.

Kaden shared a different but equally special bond with his younger sister, Kae'lyn. To her, he was more than her big brother - he was her protector, her technology guide and, most importantly, her "Bub," a nickname he once found embarrassing but eventually learned to accept. Some of her favorite memories were the simplest ones: camping trips spent sitting by the fire talking for hours, bike rides, jumping on the trampoline, playing basketball while Kaden teased her about her skills, and even flipping a canoe together while big Bub made sure she was safe before trying to teach her how to use the paddle.

As they grew older, their relationship came full circle. The little sister Kaden had always looked out for eventually had opportunities to sit beside him, look out for him and spend hours talking with him just as he had done for her growing up. Kaden wasn't always the most openly affectionate - his hugs were warm but usually short - but Kae'lyn never questioned how much her brother loved her. He remembered the birthdays and holidays, and their conversations often ended with the words that became theirs: "Love ya." No matter how much time passes, he will always be her big brother, her protector and her Bub.

Summer also meant fireworks. Introduced to them through his grandfather Dick’s involvement with a Meriden fireworks stand, Kaden became master of ceremonies for many family Fourth of July productions, carefully preparing and arranging the fireworks before naturally claiming the honor of lighting them.

Kaden loved fishing and scouting ponds around Kansas City, sometimes with a flexible interpretation of whether he had officially been invited to fish there. He skateboarded and longboarded around town and, as a kid, couldn’t pass a bouncy-ball machine without putting in a quarter - only to eventually bounce many of them straight down a storm drain. He played baseball and basketball and competed in track as a high school freshman. Naturally intelligent, Kaden often learned best by doing, experimenting and figuring things out for himself.

Murph also knew what he liked when it came to food. He could polish off an entire pan of bacon, loved crab legs and coconut cream pie, and later developed an appreciation for Kansas City barbecue, particularly Jack Stack.

Kaden shared special relationships with his grandparents. This past summer, he and his “Gran,” Laura, maintained a weekend tradition of swimming and floating together whenever the weather cooperated. Shortly before his death, Kaden shared a meaningful ride home from Topeka with his mother in his late grandfather Dick’s 1964 Shelby Cobra, a car carrying tremendous sentimental value for them both.

Kaden and his cousin Kameron Lake were close enough in age to grow up more like brothers than cousins. They competed like brothers, occasionally fought like brothers and, most importantly, loved each other like brothers. Even as adulthood pulled their lives in different directions, they made time to call and text and often planned family gatherings around whether the other would be there.

At the center of Kaden’s life was his mother, Katrina. In many ways, mother and son grew up together, creating a bond that could be tested but never broken. Both were strong-willed and stubborn, and they could disagree with equal determination. But no disagreement, difficult day or circumstance was ever bigger than the love between them.

Whatever the conversation, it came back to three words between them that always stood true: “I love you,” and “I love you too.”

Through every season of his life, Katrina remained Kaden’s constant, his advocate and his safe place. There was never any question that Kaden knew how deeply his mother loved him, nor any question that he loved her just as deeply.

Kaden is survived by his mother, Katrina D’Orvilliers, and stepfather, Matt D’Orvilliers, of Overland Park; his father, Isaac C. Murphy, and his partner, Alexander Thomas, of Olathe; his brother, Dash D’Orvilliers, of Overland Park; and his sister, Kae’lyn Brooke Miller, of Pensacola, Florida.

He is also survived by his grandmothers, Ruth Santner of Topeka and Laura Bryant of Olathe; his aunts and uncles, Keith and Kelli Lake of Lawrence, Alex and Erin Olson of North Kansas City, Jason and Sarah D’Orvilliers of Littleton, Colorado, Kaycie and Justin Henry of Lawrence, Jackson Austin, Michelle Dorminey and Richard of Junction City, and Mark Brown of Texas; cousins Kameron and Kinsey Lake, Alma and Heath Olson, Alexis and Owen D’Orvilliers, Ava and Myles Henry; his beloved four-legged buddy, Bernie; and many additional family members and friends who loved Murph.

Kaden was preceded in death by his maternal grandfather, Dick Santner; paternal grandfather, Willie Lee Murphy; maternal great-grandparents B.J. and Eleanor Brown and Ulrich and Rita Santner; and paternal great-grandparents Marian Abbott and Lyle “Bong” Brown.

Twenty-three years was nowhere near enough time.

Those who loved Kaden will remember much more than a date on a page. They’ll remember the sunglasses. Three Chains. The spotless truck. A stereo announcing his arrival from down the street. The smell of one of his favorite colognes. Fireworks waiting in perfect order. Jordans lined up in a row. A football in his hand. Murph standing on a tube behind the boat trying once again to prove he couldn’t be thrown off.

They’ll remember a mechanically gifted kid who wasn’t afraid to try something, a friend, a family member, a big brother who taught his little brother, a grandson deeply loved by his grandparents, and a son who always knew where home was.

Most of all, his family will remember the words that mattered enough to be said again and again: “I love you.”

Family and friends are invited to celebrate Kaden’s life on Monday, September 21, 2026, at Penwell-Gabel Funeral Home in Olathe, Kansas. Visitation with the family will be held from 1:00 to 2:00 p.m., followed by Kaden’s memorial service from 2:00 to 3:00 p.m. Friends and family are invited to attend Kaden’s Celebration of Life following the ceremony at 9662 W. 116th Street, Overland Park, Kansas.

For those unable to attend in person, the service will be livestreamed, with the recording available for 90 days following the service. Livestream information will be available through the funeral home’s website by clicking on Kaden’s obituary.