Arbor Leigh Murphy

April 28, 2001 – September 16, 2015

When something struck you as funny, Arbor Murphy was the first one you wanted to tell about it. She laughed easily and often, and although she was beautiful and artistic and kind, her exuberance and humor were the things that defined her.

Arbor was wired to find delight in the world. She was deeply curious about other people and cultures, actively interested in what they thought and how they felt. Her neurons sparked at anything clever, creative, offbeat or original. She was tickled by the silly and the absurd. She had a natural affinity for quirky characters - even as a very small child, she favored the destructive, impetuous and big-hearted Stitch over the blander heroes and princesses. As she grew, she became fascinated with the rich imaginative worlds of Hiyao Miyazaki, places where shape shifting, mysticism and searching are suffused with beauty, magic and love.

She was about to embark on a shape-shifting journey of her own. When she was diagnosed with acute lymphoblastic leukemia at age 10, the disease and its treatment changed her physically. She lost her hair, but not her sense of humor about it. “Well, a bald girl is pretty funny,” she reassured her younger brother Fletcher, when he overheard some classmates whispering about it.

The hair wouldn’t be the worst of it. As her battle with cancer raged on, she earned the scars of a true warrior. But through it all, her heart remained soft. Spending her last Halloween in the hospital, Arbor knew she could brighten the day for the littler patients. She slipped on a wig and a costume and got into character, walking the halls as Elsa, the beloved big sister from Frozen.

That’s who Arbor was. She was kind when she didn’t have to be. She was grateful when it seemed impossible to be. She was brave without trying to be. And she was upbeat even after four punishing years of fighting for her life.

Arbor always believed she would beat leukemia – and she did, twice. She felt certain the disease was finally behind her when she rallied for her Make-A-Wish trip to Japan, a trip that would allow her to experience all the places she had imagined from her hospital bed. She felt instantly at home in Japan and made the most of her time there, taking in the Pokemon Center, Tokyo Disneyland, the country’s beautiful landscapes and shrines, and of course her beloved Miyazaki’s museum. That special trip felt like the beginning of a new life for Arbor, a life after cancer. But sadly, by the time she returned home, exhilarated but exhausted, her body had relapsed.

She had hopes of attending Comic-Con, of spending some time with “her people,” those creative storytellers, inventors and dreamers who inspired her. She even got the costume she planned to wear there. But the disease had other ideas. And ultimately, the place she really wanted to go was home, to her own room, her family and her cats.

She spent her last night surrounded by her family, swapping jokes and trading favorite movie lines. In the morning she was alert and talkative, and by the afternoon she had slipped away. Arbor died the way she did everything – simply, without a fuss, full of dreams and wrapped in love.

Arbor didn’t have enough time on earth to experience much of life; the world owed her so much more. But somehow she was able in her short span to understand that a happy life isn’t one that avoids suffering; it’s one that embraces joy.

“Ohana means family – and family means nobody gets left behind or forgotten.”

- Lilo and Stitch

Arbor’s “Ohana” must now channel her strength to carry on a legacy worthy of her beautiful soul. She will be held close in the hearts and memories of her loving parents John and Lia (Borek) Murphy; her cherished brother and sister Fletcher and Bennett; her best friend and cousin Zosia Borek; her doting grandparents Len and Linda (Voletti) Borek; numerous aunts and uncles including Mick and Pat Murphy, Denny and Alice Murphy, Karen (Murphy) DiVico, Terry and Debra Murphy, Paul Kelley, Len and Gosia Borek, Todd and D’Arcy Robb Borek; her first cousins Kate Reaman and Barbara Bartosh, Shannon Murphy, Deanna Murphy and Ashley Murphy, Lauren and Michael DiVico, Megan and Brendan Kelley, Max Borek, Annika Borek – and many other cousins and extended family. Welcoming her in the skies above are her Grandmother Jane (Chauvin) Murphy, and Aunt Susan (Murphy) Kelley. Her Grandfather, Jack Murphy, Sr. joined her within days on September 20, 2015.

Arbor requested that you celebrate her as she lived – full of life and with laughter.

Please join us as we honor her bright light on:

Visitation: Sunday, September 27th 4pm - 8pm

Memorial Service: Monday, September 28th - 10am

Location: Eternal Valley Memorial Park - 23287 Sierra Hwy, Newhall, 91321

Please dress in colors commemorating the happiness Arbor brought wherever she went.

In lieu of flowers, please consider donations to those organizations that made a positive impact during Arbor’s journey:

Face Off With Cancer: http://www.faceoffwithcancer.org

St. Baldrick's: romeosb.com

Make-A-Wish: http://la.wish.org

O my beloved child, come

And see the riches of the deep blue sea,

Don't cry, oh my precious one,

I shall love you forever.

You there, oh, my beloved child.

I will love you, I will love you always,

When you stand with me, oh, and cling together as friends,

I will love you, I will love you always,

I will love you, I will love you always.

- Alexa Junge