Darrel and "Lee" Carver (née Leola Merriwether) married way back in 1968, when he was fresh out of college and she had a semester of graduate biochemistry down. Darrel was a Navy pilot from 1968 to 1976. Then he resigned his commission, got a Masters of International Management at Thunderbird, and joined an international bank. With wife, son, and daughter in tow, he worked in the United States, Greece, Saudi Arabia, Argentina, Indonesia, Spain, and Brazil, during which time he saw the Lord's work combined with the miracle of flight. Darrel retired after a very successful 24 year career, in order to respond to God's call that he serve as a missionary pilot in the Amazon. For 6 1/2 years, Lee and Darrel made their home in Manaus, Brazil, from which he flew missions with the organization Asas de Socorro (Wings of Help). In November, 2006, they moved to Fort Worth, TX, to care for Darrel's parents who have since passed. They continue to work with local missions and their church. Darrel serves on the Board of Mission Safety International.
Left: Wilson Kannenberg and Darrel Carver, on the front walk of our home in Manaus, Brazil. July, 2001
Left: Darrel and Lee, 11 April, 2002, at home in Manaus.
Wilson Kannenberg, a native Brazilian of German descent, founded the Manaus sector. He, Darrel, and Paul Bachmann were pilots of the Cessna Caravan. Although the Caravan requires only one pilot, they felt that, with the intricacies of landing on a river with boat traffic and river current, two pilots were safer than one. Wilson is married to a Wisconsin native, Lori, and they have three young adult children.
