Dale Miller, 54, had worked at the plant for less than six months.
LONGVIEW, Wash. — The family of Dale Miller has confirmed the 54-year-old Portland man was killed in Tuesday’s blast at the Nippon Dynawave Packaging Company in Longview, Washington.
Miller, a millwright who had only begun working at the plant earlier this year, left behind three children and three grandchildren.
His sister, Sarah Barton, remembered him as a devoted family man who had recently moved in with their mother in Portland to help care for her.
“He lived a great life,” Sarah Barton said.
Beyond his work, Miller was known for his passion for restoring and collecting old cars, participating in a motorcycle club and playing billiards on a local pool team.
His sister described him as a “car junkie” with a “great group of friends.”
Family members said they knew something had gone wrong when they couldn’t reach Miller following the blast. His nephew, Jaryn Barton, said the family had been unable to reach other plant employees as well.
“We knew something was wrong when he wasn’t answering his phone and we weren’t able to get ahold of anyone else who worked at the plant too,” Jaryn Barton said.
Sarah Barton noted she does not believe her brother was working on the tank at the time of the explosion. The family was officially notified that his remains had been recovered on Wednesday night.
Jaryn Barton described the tragedy as deeply shocking, both for its scale and its personal impact on his family.
“It’s more shocking than anything else. This is shaping out to be one of the biggest industrial incidents in modern U.S. history — the fact it happened so suddenly and my family is so closely connected to it in such a tragic way, it’s shocking,” he said.
In the wake of the disaster, fundraisers have been established to support victims’ families. Donations can be made by check payable to the Cowlitz Wahkiakum Labor Council (CWLC), with “Family Fund Donation” noted in the memo line, and mailed to the Lower Columbia Longshoreman’s Federal Credit Union at 629 14th Ave., Longview, WA 98632.
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