'My everything': Family mourns loss of Vancouver man who died in Nippon spill

Norman Barlow, of Vancouver, dreamed of traveling in retirement, his sister said.

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But the 58-year-old's life was cut short on May 26 when up to 570,000 gallons of a caustic chemical used in paper making spilled from a ruptured tank at the Nippon pulp and paper mill, killing Barlow and 10 others.

Growing up, Cindy Barlow Bickford, 55, of Tacoma, said her brother watched over her.

"No one wanted to mess with me because I was his sister," she said.

Barlow wrestled while in middle school and at Washougal High, placing third at a state tournament during his senior year.

When he wasn't working, he spent his time on the water and at barbecues. He had a tendency to put others first, Bickford said.

Barlow had just recently brought up planning for retirement, she added, though he had only worked at Longview's Nippon for 90 days before the spill.

Bickford hadn't seen her brother since last year, at their father's funeral.

Now, she and the rest of the family are holding a public celebration of life for Barlow on July 19 at Youth and Family Link, at 907 Douglas St. in Longview.

'My everything'

Barlow was known for his strong work ethic. Bickford said he sometimes worked 12-hour days, six times a week, at the Longview mill.

His daughter Brooke Iverson, 30, of Yelm, agreed.

"He put his whole life into (his) careers," she said. "He spent every waking moment in plants, mills, refineries, you name it, he was there."

Barlow raised her as a single parent, but she said he made parenting look effortless.

She last saw him on a father-daughter trip to Las Vegas in March.

"My dad was my everything," Iverson said.

Brooke Iverson holds phots of her father

Brooke Iverson, 30, of Yelm, holds photos of her father outside of Nippon Dynawave Packaging Co. on Saturday, May 30, after the Cowlitz County Coroner Dana Tucker announced her father, Norman Barlow, died as a result of the mill's tank failure.

Living life to the fullest

Barlow's body was found in the break room on May 30, his sister said.

A cinder-block wall separating the break room from the outside area with the tank was demolished during the spill, according to a report by the Washington State Department of Ecology. Rescue crews had to clear the rubble to find victims.

Brickford said workers were waiting in the break room for a morning briefing. Officials have previously said this is where workers received assignments for the day.

With the sudden loss of her brother, Brickford said her view on life has changed.

"There are two guarantees in life," she said, "You're born, and you die, and everything in between is what you're gonna do to the best of your ability ... to live life to the fullest."

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This story was originally published June 19, 2026 at 12:33 PM.