Lawrence "Larry" Dare

Lawrence “Larry” John Dare Jr., 61, of Melbourne, Iowa, passed away peacefully on Tuesday, August 29, 2023 at UnityPoint Health – St. Luke’s Hospital in Cedar Rapids.

Per the wishes of Larry and his family, cremation rites have been accorded under the care of the Mitchell Family Funeral Home. A family-led celebration of life will take place on Friday, September 29 at Rhodes Ball Park from 12:00 P.M. to 3:00 P.M. In lieu of flowers, memorials may be directed to the family for later designation. For online condolences, please visit www.mitchellfh.com. Ph. 641-844-1234.

Born September 29, 1961 in Houston, Texas, he was the son of Lawrence Sr. and Priscilla (Chambliss) Dare. Larry graduated from Deer Park High School with the class of 1980.

On May 21-22, 1981, he was united in marriage to the love of his life, Kay Clawson in Angleton, Texas. They moved to Iowa in 1989 and have since called it home. Larry worked at PCA until his retirement, and later took a position at Meskwaki Casino. He was a past volunteer firefighter in Melbourne.

In his free time, Larry enjoyed fishing and was an avid sports fan, especially the Iowa Hawkeyes, Green Bay Packers and Chicago Black Hawks. He also enjoyed watching professional soccer. Larry enjoyed “cooking for the masses” and he was good at it! He was most known for his breakfast taquitos, cherry cheesecake, clam chowder and potato soup, to name a few. More than anything else, he loved spending time with his family, especially his grandkids. Larry also enjoyed playing cards and taught his grandkids how to play.

Left to cherish his memory are his three children: Clint (Ashley) Dare of Melbourne, IA, Dustin (Tressa) Dare of Altoona, IA and Katie (JJ) Gaw of Groves, TX; nine grandchildren: Dylan (Morgan), Katheryne, Jacob, Tayleigh, Charlee, Elizabeth, John, Olivia and Connor; two great-grandchildren: Hudson and Evelynn; his stepmother Paula Dare of Cartersville, GA; two brothers and two sisters; three sisters-in-law and two brothers-in-law; and numerous nieces and nephews.

Larry is preceded in death by his beloved wife Kay, his mother Priscilla, his father Lawrence Sr., his sister Micah, in-laws Bob and Delores Clawson and brother-in-law Doug.