Norman Barlow, a 58-year-old millwright who died May 26 in the implosion of a tank at the Nippon Dynawave Packaging plant in Longview, was not just a loving father but a true mentor to younger colleagues and an adopted grandfather to many children who lacked that figure in their lives. His daughter, Brook Iverson-Barlow, recalls her father as a person of extraordinary kindness: "Any child who needed love, he showed what a real dad is. He had so much warmth it was enough for everyone."
Longview is a small industrial city in southwest Washington state, located on the Columbia River about 100 miles south of Seattle and 50 miles north of Portland. Founded in the 1920s as a center for logging and pulp-and-paper manufacturing, it complements Seattle’s high-tech economy with large wood-processing plants and port terminals. It serves as an important transport hub connecting the Pacific coast with inland areas.
The pulp-and-paper industry remains one of the economic pillars of southwest Washington, providing thousands of jobs in Longview, Camas and Vancouver. Plants produce kraft paper, cardboard, packaging materials and pulp, which are exported to Asia and Europe through Columbia River ports. The industry supports logging, transportation and energy sectors, and is critically important to the resilience of the local economy, especially in rural areas where alternative employment is limited.
On the day of the tragedy, Barlow arrived at work early so he could make his grandson’s kindergarten graduation. The explosion occurred in the pulp processing room, and Barlow became the eleventh victim of the disaster. His body was recovered from the rubble only after several days. His daughter said she had been unable to reach her father for a long time and only received confirmation three days later that he was among the missing.
Norman had worked at Nippon for just three months but had decades of experience at refineries in California and at the Packaging Corporation of America plant in Wallula. He was especially passionate about training newcomers. "There isn't a single guy he mentored who wouldn’t try to work as hard as my dad did," his daughter says. "Many admit they’re afraid of letting him down, even now that he’s gone."
In his free time, Barlow loved spoiling his four grandchildren and constantly urged his family to save for retirement. He would gleefully punch numbers into a calculator, showing his daughter how to multiply savings: "He had this broad grin, and he’d say, 'See, kiddo? This is how it works.'" Norman dreamed of retiring in a few years and moving to a warm state to watch his grandkids by the pool.
When his daughter visited the plant to honor her father, she left his photo and two favorite items at the makeshift memorial — a can of Diet Coke and a bottle of Corona. "Time — that's what he knew how to give," Brook remembers. "I hope those he taught will one day mentor my children the way he mentored them."
Based on: Norman Barlow, Longview implosion victim, was mentor and adopted ‘papa’