WA honors 15 Tri-Cities nuclear workers, along with slain educator and others
A paraeducator murdered at a West Richland elementary, 15 former nuclear workers and three accident victims were remembered Thursday at the annual Worker Memorial Day Ceremony in Tumwater.
Every spring, the Washington Department of Labor and Industries honors workers who have died of work-related illnesses or injuries. The 2025 honorees include 97 Washington workers, 21 of them from the Tri-Cities.
Many were connected to the nuclear industry and their deaths are linked to their employment by the state. The list dates to 1993 and includes people who died in the past but have not been previously included in the program.
Gov. Bob Ferguson led the ceremony.
Benton City
Philip Bramson, 65, a radiation protection manager for the U.S. Department of Energy, died Jan. 8, 2001, from cancer caused by exposure to hazardous materials.
Karl Christensen, 78, a millwright for Lockheed Martin Hanford Corp., died Jan. 2, 2024, from cancer caused by exposure to hazardous chemicals.
James Stull, 72, of Benton County, a pipe fitter and welder for the U.S. Department of Energy, died March 4, 2016, from exposure to hazardous chemicals and materials.
Kennewick
James Prescott, 71, a reactor operator for Energy Northwest, died April 8, 2020, from lymphoma caused by exposure to hazardous materials.
Dwight Schneider, 88, metal handler and fabricator the U.S. Department of Energy, died Feb. 14, 2017, from complications due to Alzheimer’s caused by exposure to hazardous materials.
Ferman Stubblefield, 90, a chemical engineer for the U.S. Department of Energy, died Feb. 14, 2014, from Parkinson’s disease caused by exposure to hazardous chemicals and materials.
Daniel Zarate, 25, a landscaper for Trugreen, died June 13, 2024, in a vehicle accident.
Mesa
Justin Jepson, 48, a farm equipment operator for Kaleca Inc., died March 2, 2024, in a vehicle accident.
Pasco
James Dean, 47, a truck driver for the U.S. Department of Energy, died April 21, 1993, from cancer caused by exposure to hazardous materials.
Robert Dupuy, 73, a field service engineer for the U.S. Department of Energy, died May 18, 2019, from leukemia caused by exposure to radiation and hazardous materials.
Earl Louderback, 78, a carpenter (employer not listed), died Feb. 18, 2020, from a heart attack caused by pulmonary disease linked to exposure to hazardous chemicals.
Viktor Voloshin, 56, an independent truck driver, died June 7, 2024, due to exposure to toxic fumes at Two Rivers Terminal.
Michael Owens, 79, technician for a One Refrigeration and Heating , died Dec. 29, 2024, from diabetic ketoacidosis and Alzheimer’s disease.
Richland
Robert Preston Sr., 75, a pipe fitter for the U.S. Department of Energy, died Dec. 5, 2011, from cancer caused by exposure to radiological materials.
Scott Richey, 64, a project manager for the U.S. Department of Energy, died Feb. 10, 2022, from cancer caused by exposure to radiological materials.
Wayne Ruby, 69, a Washington State patrolman, died July 11, 2016, from cancer caused by exposure to hazardous materials.
Jerome Skinner, 66, a senior contract specialist (no employer listed), died May 31, 2012, from cancer caused by exposure to hazardous materials.
Randall Strickland, 69, a nuclear chemical operator for the U.S. Department of Energy, died June 27, 2023, from a brain tumor caused by exposure to chemicals and hazardous waste.
Richard Slocum, 80, a vice president for Hanford site operations for the U.S. Department of Energy, died Jan. 20, 2023, from cancer caused by exposure to radiation and hazardous materials.
West Richland
Michael Munson, 63, a security officer for Babcock Services, died Feb. 16, 2017, from ALS caused by exposure to hazardous materials.
Amber Rodriguez, 31, a paraeducator for Richland School District No. 400, died April 22, 2024, after being shot by her estranged husband at William Wiley Elementary.
This story was originally published April 24, 2025 at 11:03 AM.