Kobe Kain

Kobe Alan Kain, 24, of Des Moines, Iowa, passed away on April 15, 2026.

Kobe was born on February 8, 2002, in Des Moines, Iowa, to Jessica Harmon and Joey Kain. From the age of nine, he was raised by Tony Johnson, a man who didn’t just step in, but stood up, becoming the father Kobe needed when he needed it.

He graduated from Ankeny High School and went on to serve his country in the United States Navy. There, he didn’t just show up, he excelled. Kobe graduated Gunner’s Mate A School in the top 1% of his class for pistol marksmanship and ranked in the top three overall, earning Outstanding Academic Achievement honors. He was proud of that. His family was proud of that. And he earned every bit of it.

In September of 2025, Kobe married Stephanie Kain. What they had wasn’t surface-level, it was real. Built on loyalty, on honor, on something deeper than most people ever find. He didn’t take that lightly. He never took the people he loved lightly.

Koko.
That’s what his mom called him.
And if you knew him, you can hear it.

Koko had that half-smile. The kind that said he already knew something you didn’t. Quiet, a little crooked, and completely his. He was funny without trying, sharp without showing off, and good at damn near everything he touched. A natural. A math mind that made things click. An athlete that made it look easy. A football player people thought would go all the way. And a fan for life. The Miami Dolphins, The U, and the fight game. He loved it all.

But more than anything he loved his people.

He and Stephanie welcomed their daughter, Kalayah Jo Kain, in July of 2025. She was part of his purpose. So were LaRiyah and Jorden, his girl and his boy, his responsibility, his heart.

And then there was Korbyn. If you knew Kobe, you knew that bond. That wasn’t just his brother. His right hand, his number two, his ride or die, his best friend under every circumstance. Trouble, growth, chaos, loyalty…whatever it was, they were in it together. Running and gunning, pushing each other, holding it down like only they could. There was nothing like them. And there never will be again. Everybody knows Them Kain Boys.

It wasn’t always easy. It wasn’t always clean. But Kobe never pretended it was. He was proud of where he came from. Proud of the people in his life. Proud of the scars that built him. He wore his story, literally. Ink over skin. Pain turned into identity. Every mark a reminder that he didn’t fold. He showed up. He fought forward. Every day.

He missed his dad, Joey, more than most people knew. Carried him with him. Looked like him. Moved like him. And now… he’s with him again. Somewhere we can’t reach yet, but a place we’ll all get to eventually. And when we do…he’ll be there waiting. Probably with that same half-smile.

Kobe was preceded in death by his father, Joey Kain; his grandfathers, Richard Harmon and Robbie Huffaker; his grandmother, Kim Schmitz (Kain); and his great-grandparents, Melvin and Mary Jo Kain.

He is survived by his wife, Stephanie Kain, and children Kalayah Jo Kain, LaRiyah, and Jorden; his mother, Jessica Harmon; his father, Tony Johnson; his brothers, Korbyn and Owen; his sisters, Wava and Hailey; his grandfather, Mike Kain; his grandmothers, Sherry Huffaker and Kim Kain; and a large extended family of aunts, uncles, cousins, nieces, and nephews who will carry him forward.

A celebration of life will be held on Tuesday, April 28, 2026 from 4:00 to 7:00 p.m. at Peterson Funeral Home in Carlisle, Iowa. Family and friends are invited to share stories of Kobe’s life from 6:00 to 7:00 p.m.

Kobe wasn’t perfect.
But he was real.
He was loyal.
He was ours.

And that’s what makes this hurt the way it does. He will be missed in a way that doesn’t fade. Only carried.

https://petersonfuneralservice.com/obituaries/kobe-kain/guestpayment