Darlene J. Arre, 91, of Columbia passed away March 5, 2025.

She was born July 31, 1933 in Fargo, North Dakota. She was the third of the nine children of Gilmore H. Wagner and Louise M. Emerson. At one time the family lived by a Coca Cola bottling plant and this began a lifelong love of Coke.

On June 24, 1952 she married Eugene L. Arre in Moorhead, Minnesota and she began life as an Army wife. They were stationed in Fort Knox, KY, Fort Riley, KS, Fort Campbell, KY, Fort Lewis, WA, Germany, Hawaii and Fort Jackson, SC. Columbia, SC became home.

She retired from K-mart after 29 years where she ran the blue light specials. She then worked at the Briar Patch, which became Kirkland's, and worked until she was 78 years old.

She had 5 children, 9 grandchildren and 11 great grandchildren. She is survived by her children: Jeanne Smith of West Columbia; Karen Raiford and her husband Rock of Lady Lake, Florida; Artie Arre of Columbia; Julie Hunter of Columbia; and her baby son Alan LeBon of Cayce. She is also survived by her siblings, Jeanne Stanley, Chuck Wagner and Dan Wagner, all of the Greater Seattle area, and Diane Kastrow of Atlanta, GA. She is also survived by her sister-in-law Marion Wagner of Benson, AZ.

Thompson Funeral Home is assisting the family. There will be a brief service in the mausoleum chapel at 3:30 Saturday, March 15th. At her request, burial will be in Greenlawn Memorial Park. She hoped that her spirit would be able to catch a ride to Myrtle Beach with someone driving by on Highway 378.