Irene O'Brien Dare, 88, of Columbus, Nebraska, died Sunday, November 21, 2021, at the Columbus Community Hospital.

Public visitation will be on Friday, November 26, from 4:00 - 7:00 PM at Gass Haney Funeral Home. Due to Covid concerns, a private family funeral will be held. Private family interment will be in Columbus Cemetery. The funeral service will be broadcast live on the Gass Haney Facebook page beginning at approximately 10:55 AM on Saturday, November 27. Memorials are suggested to the Federated Church or the Platte County Historical Society.

Irene W. O'Brien Dare was born on November 7, 1933, in Mishawaka, Indiana, to George and Marcia (Dillingham) Greenawalt. She graduated from Mishawaka High School in 1951. Irene was married to Norris Freeman and to this union five children were born. On July 15, 1972, Irene was united in marriage to Paul O'Brien and the couple moved to Columbus. Irene wrote feature articles for the Columbus Telegram for many years and also authored four books. Irene was licensed for ministry through the Federated Church. She served as the pastor in Pierce, Nebraska, for five years and then served in the Columbus area for many years. On September 12, 2015, Irene was united in marriage to Glennard "Jerry" Dare.

Irene loved fishing, reading, and doing jigsaw puzzles.

Irene is survived by:
Daughter: Terri (Milan) Gerlanc of The Villages, FL
Daughter: Norene (John) Smith of Elkhart, IN
Son: Rex (Elizabeth) Freeman of Columbus, NE
Son: Eric (Becky) Freeman of Ashland, NE
Daughter: Jennifer (Tom) Schwank of Columbus, NE
Step-son: Chris (Rhonda) Dare of Maine
Step-daughter: Cindy White of Indiana
Step-son: Shannon (Becky) Dare of Indiana
Step-son: Tim (Karen) Dare of Colorado
12 Grandchildren
19 Great Grandchildren
Cousin: Don (Sharon) Paulsen of Penn, MI
One Niece & Two Nephews

Irene was preceded in death by:
Parents: George and Marcia Greenawalt
Husband: Paul O'Brien
Husband: Glennard "Jerry" Dare
Sister & Brother-in-law: Jean & Gerry Rodgers
Great Granddaughter: Ophelia Jahnke