Norman Barlow, Longview implosion victim, was mentor and adopted ‘papa'

Norman Barlow had what seemed like countless grandkids - some he was related to, and others he had informally adopted when he saw they could use a grandfather figure in their lives.

"Any kid that needed love, he showed them what a papa was," his daughter, Brooke Iverson-Barlow, said this week. "He had so much love to pour out, it didn't matter where you came from. And I don't think anything made him happier in life."

On May 26, he had come in early for work at the Nippon Dynawave Packaging mill in Longview because he wanted to attend a grandkid's kindergarten graduation later in the day, according to his daughter.

Barlow, 58, was one of 11 killed when a tank imploded at the pulp and paper mill. He was the last worker recovered from the site over the weekend.

Barlow lived in Vancouver, Wash., with his fiancée. He was an instrument technician and had worked at Nippon for only about three months, but had spent his career in the trades. He worked in refineries and mills in California and more recently at Packaging Corporation of America in Wallula, Walla Walla County. He mentored younger workers and was eager to teach them what he knew, his daughter said.

"There's not a single guy he mentored who doesn't work as hard, or try to work as hard, as my dad," she said. "Several people said they are afraid to let him down, even though he's gone."

After the implosion, Iverson-Barlow got a call from Barlow's fiancée saying she couldn't get in touch with him. On Wednesday, she was told that her dad was one of the missing and would be recovered from the site. Details about what happened have been scarce, she said.

"All I can picture is my dad sitting there with a cup of black coffee, just looking at his phone, waiting for the day to start," she said.

She drove to the Longview mill on Friday and was disheartened to see cars going in and out during shift changes. A Nippon representative said the mill shut down except for "critical infrastructure" operations with minimal staffing. She went to the makeshift memorial and left a photo of her dad and his two favorite drinks: Diet Coke and Corona.

Barlow spoiled Iverson-Barlow's four children, and made sure his daughter and his friends knew the importance of saving for retirement. He would offer advice about investing in the right places. Iverson-Barlow remembered her dad talking about savings and watching the numbers on his phone calculator go "up and up and up" as he explained how she could invest.

"He had the biggest grin on his face," she said. "He said, ‘See, baby? This is how it works, this is what you have to do.'"

Barlow had been hoping to retire in several years. He wanted to move to a warmer state, where he could watch his grandkids swim.

"Quality time is what he had to give," his daughter said. "Hopefully those he mentored can mentor my kids one day."

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