'Our lives are torn now': Fiancee mourns Vancouver man killed in Longview mill disaster

A Vancouver man was among those killed in last week’s disaster at Nippon Dynawave Packaging in Longview.

Eleven employees died after a tank holding a caustic chemical referred to as white liquor imploded Tuesday at the paper mill along the Columbia River. The industrial chemical is used to dissolve wood chips into paper pulp. Cowlitz County Coroner Dana Tucker said over the weekend the event was one of the most significant tragedies to hit the region since the explosion of Mount St. Helens nearly 50 years ago.

Vancouver resident Norman “Money” Barlow, 58, was the last victim recovered from the site Saturday. He was nearing retirement but continued working long hours to save money for his upcoming wedding to his high school sweetheart, Patricia Kraff, 60.

“It was actually our third time getting together, but this time we were living together,” Kraff said. “I was telling people, ‘Third time’s the charm.’ “

Kraff and Barlow first met as teenagers when he delivered newspapers for The Oregonian. Kraff’s aunt and uncle were distributors for the newspaper at the time. Kraff and Barlow attended rival high schools; Kraff was on the drill team at Camas High School and Barlow wrestled for Washougal High School.

“We just had a connection,” Kraff said. “There was something about us. It was like love at first sight every time.”

After reconnecting later in life, Barlow relocated from the Tri-Cities to be with Kraff. Kraff’s best friend, Michelle Leet, 58, said Barlow completely restructured his life for the relationship.

“Once he and Patty said they were going to make it work this time, it was like watching high school teenagers fall in love,” Leet said. “He could have retired but wanted to keep working and buy her a home. He would sleep three hours and then go to work. Most 20-year-olds don’t even do that.”

Kraff said Barlow told her the dangers of his job as a trouble shooter for the mill but reassured her being close to her was what he wanted.

Kraff said locals knew Barlow as an old-school, blue-collar worker with a deeply giving nature. He earned the nickname “Money” for his hard work and focus on earning. Since the disaster, Kraff said neighbors and friends have continually reached out with stories of Barlow helping them through their own financial hardships.

The mill has been a cornerstone of Longview’s economy since 1953. Purchased by Tokyo-based Nippon Paper Group in 2016, the facility employs about 1,000 people and produces the high-quality market pulp and paperboard used to create billions of liquid containers worldwide.

The disaster killed two men who were taken to area hospitals after the incident and another nine, including Barlow, were recovered over the next several days. All 11 were identified by the coroner’s office Saturday.

Six other injured workers and a firefighter were taken to hospitals and four have been discharged, according to the state Department of Ecology’s latest update.

The employees killed came from across the region, which highlights how interconnected workers in Southwest Washington are, particularly in industries like manufacturing.

According to data from Workforce Southwest Washington, about 6,600 Clark County residents in 2025 commuted to work in Cowlitz County. Nearly 10,000 commuted the other way.

On the morning of the explosion, Kraff said she woke up and realized Barlow hadn’t texted or called. She said that was the first sign something was wrong.

After hours of being unable to reach him, she was contacted by her sister breaking the news of the disaster at the plant. Kraff said she became responsible for calling Barlow’s family to tell them he was gone.

Barlow was a fan of the Dallas Cowboys and chocolate chip cookies. He enjoyed going on long walks to get coffee with Kraff and supported local wrestling.

“When he died, I died. He was my calm. He would say, ‘It’ll be OK, Patty,’ and I believed him,” Kraff said. “I feel like my life has been turned upside down. We had such a unique relationship. It was like that story, ‘The Notebook.’ “

The couple became officially engaged Dec. 23. Kraff said Barlow had playfully tried proposing multiple times by hiding the ring in “obvious” places, like inside the refrigerator or strung up on holiday lights, before finally taking a direct approach at the Oregon Zoo with a large display of lights that read, “Will you marry me?”

In the wake of his loss, Kraff finds comfort in unexpected places, including Barlow’s cat, Mimi. She said previously she would clash with the pet and jokingly called it “the demon cat from ‘Pet Sematary.’ “

But since Barlow’s death, Kraff said Mimi refuses to leave her side.

“I was the luckiest woman to have that last breath with him that morning,” Kraff said. “He’s irreplaceable. Our lives are torn now. He was one of a kind and I was so, so lucky. I knew he loved me. He was an amazing man.”

Part of the paper mill remains shuttered while an investigation into the disaster continues. U.S. Rep. Marie Gluesenkamp Perez, D-Skamania, said in a news release Monday she is encouraging Nippon to continue paying its employees for the duration of the closure.

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This story was originally published June 1, 2026 at 6:00 PM.