10/09/2026
Eugene H. Kain, Jr.
Age: 79 Lifelong Haddonfield Resident
Gene Kain, a longtime Haddonfield resident, funeral director, educator, coach, and devoted community servant, passed away on October 7, 2026, at the age of 79. He was the beloved husband of Myra Kain for 57 years; loving father of Dr. Michael Kain (Dr. Lois Choi-Kain) and Rachel Downie (Patrick); cherished grandfather of Emma and Abigail Kain and Lindsay Downie; dear brother of Patricia Kain (Bill Evans), Robert Kain (Rosalynn Sumners), and Stephen Kain (Carole); and treasured uncle and cousin.
The son of Dr. Eugene H. Kain and Janet Kain of Haddonfield, Gene was a valued member of the community he loved and served. He graduated from Haddonfield Memorial High School in 1965. A distinguished varsity wrestler, he won the New Jersey state wrestling championship in 1964 as a junior and remains the last state champion wrestler from Haddonfield.
He attended Gettysburg College, graduating in 1969 with a Bachelor of Arts in health and physical education. He continued his wrestling career there as both a wrestler and a coach. While at Gettysburg, he met his wife, Myra, beginning a partnership that would remain central to his life.
Following college, Gene returned to Haddonfield, where he began his career as a teacher and coach. He also coached wrestling, track, and cross-country, sharing with generations of young people the discipline, teamwork, and perseverance he had learned through athletics. He also started Haddonfield’s youth wrestling program.
In September 1975, Gene graduated from the American Academy McAllister Institute of Funeral Service in New York City. He was valedictorian of his graduating class and received two distinguished honors: the Dr. Thomas M. Quinn Award, presented to the student who contributed the most to his class, and the Silvio J. Failla Achievement Award, recognizing the outstanding member of the graduating class.
After serving as a licensed funeral director in Collingswood, Gene returned to Haddonfield and, in 1979, became owner of Stretch, Evans & Kain Funeral Home, Inc. which later operated as Kain Funeral Home, Holl-Murphy Funeral Home, and ultimately Kain-Murphy Funeral Services. For decades, Gene guided families through some of life’s most difficult moments, providing compassionate and dignified service to the Haddonfield community and surrounding South Jersey.
Beginning in 1996, he served as a medical investigator for the Camden County Medical Examiner’s Office. He also served as mayor of Haddonfield from 1997 to 2001, following many years of civic involvement.
Among his many commitments, he served on the boards of Interfaith Caregivers, the Haddonfield Ambulance Association, the Haddonfield Civic Association, the Camden County Chapter of the American Red Cross, and the Haddonfield Library Board, where he was instrumental in the renovation of the Haddonfield Public Library. Gene received the Governor Alfred E. Driscoll Community Service Award from the Haddonfield Civic Association in 2003 and was named Citizen of the Year by the Haddonfield Lions Club in 2015. He was also a member of the Haddonfield Rotary Club and the Haddonfield Y’s Men’s Club, serving as president of the latter in 1982.
Wrestling remained a lifelong passion. After being inducted into the South Jersey Wrestling Hall of Fame in 1982, he continued his involvement with the organization as treasurer and later as president. His passion for athletics and competition extended beyond the mat to road races, marathons, triathlons, biathlons, and open-water swims, culminating in his participation as a senior in the 2012 World Triathlon Games in London.
New Hampshire was an important part of Kain family life, and that connection began with Camp Tecumseh. Gene was a camper and counselor there in the 1960s and later served on its Board of Trustees as a term trustee from 1989 to 1995. Focused on making boys better, the camp embodied participation, effort, and trying new things. As a trip crew counselor, Gene was introduced to—and developed a lifelong love of—the White Mountains. New Hampshire and the camp experience inspired many family vacations and adventures, as well as later challenges, including an attempt to climb Mount Rainier. He loved the challenge.
He was also a longtime member of Tavistock Country Club.
Gene devoted his life to people and community—on the wrestling mat, at the funeral home, and in municipal government. He believed in showing up, lending a hand, and giving his time to others. His influence can be seen in the generations of students and athletes he taught, the families he served, and the community he worked tirelessly to strengthen.
Above all, he will be remembered as a husband, family man, friend, mentor, and neighbor whose roots in Haddonfield ran deep. His legacy is reflected in the many lives he touched throughout a lifetime of service.
Gene’s family will receive friends and relatives on Monday evening, October 12, from 5 to 8 p.m. at Kain-Murphy Funeral Services, 15 West End Ave., Haddonfield, NJ 08033. All are invited to his Mass of Christian Burial at 11 a.m. on Tuesday, October 13, at Christ the King Roman Catholic Church, 200 Windsor Ave., Haddonfield, NJ 08033. Interment will be private.
In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions in Gene’s honor may be made to Interfaith Caregivers, P.O. Box 186, Haddonfield, NJ 08033 ( www.giftofalift.org )
***PARKING IS AVAILABLE AT THE HADDONFIELD UNITED METHODIST CHURCH PARKING LOT. YOU ARE WELCOME TO WALK FROM THERE OR WE WILL BE RUNNING A SMALL SHUTTLE FROM THE PARKING LOT TO THE FUNERAL HOME DURING THE VISITATION.***
