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MARC Pilot Dies in Plane Crash
MARSHALL, AK (July 10, 2000) - Don Irvine, a pilot for the Missionary Aviation and Repair Center (MARC) that served numerous ministries for the Evangelical Covenant Church of Alaska (ECCAK), died June 30 in a plane accident.
Irvine, 40, had been involved in Alaska ministry since 1986, beginning as a teacher for Far North Christian School and a year later as co-founder of Northwind Ministries, a missionary flying support organization in the North Pole.
As a pilot and mechanic for MARC, Irvine flew passengers and supplies to remote villages in Alaska. He had moved to Unalakleet two years ago to better serve Native American leaders in that area.
Irvine had dropped off children returning from a youth camp, along with one of the pastors, before flying out of Marshall, which is 400 miles west of Anchorage. His engine went out shortly after departing Marshall, according to ECCAK field director and friend Paul Wilson.
"Don was loved by our team as anyone possibly could be," Wilson said. "He served with wisdom and whimsy and he cared deeply about raising younger Native leaders, devoting his life to that end."
To understand the significance of Irvine's ministry, said Wilson, one would need to understand how difficult it is to transport people to various places in Alaska. KICY, the Evangelical Covenant Church-sponsored radio station in Alaska, shared one weekend in the life of Irvine as they documented a three-stop trip around the state in May. The June 2000 edition of the KICY Call Letter tells the story of that 48-hour adventure. The story can be accessed by visiting the KICY web site at www.kicy.org.
Irvine is survived by his wife, Kathy; two sons, Brandon and Bradley; and daughter, Jodie, all of Unalakleet. Memorials may be directed to the Young Pilot Education Fund in care of MARC, P.O. Box 511, Soldotna, Alaska, 99669.
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