By Sharyn L. Decker
Lewis County Sirens news reporter
The Centralia Community Church of God are among those mourning the death of 57-year-old John Michael Summers.
Summers body was recovered Sunday from inside a chemical holding tank at a Portland area industrial site.
John Michael Summers
“He’s Mike to everyone here,” Pastor Mark Fast said this afternoon. “Oh man, what a big-hearted guy.”
Portland Fire and Rescue was called just after 10 o’clock on Sunday morning to rescue a worker who had apparently fallen into a 20-foot deep holding tank on a barge, according to a news release from the fire department. It contained a toxic and corrosive agricultural material, according to the fire department.
Another employee had seen Summers near the hatch, turned away and when he looked back, Summers was gone, the fire department reported.
Rescuers concluded a person would have become unconscious right away because of the lack of oxygen in the tank.
Pastor Fast said he’s come to know Summers, his wife Sandy Summers and adult daughter Gillian Summers as they began attending the Borst Avenue church about a year and a half ago. They had lived in Centralia before moving to Doty, Fast said.
“Over and over again, the word I’ve used to describe Mike most is genuine,” Fast said.
Summers used to have a flooring company and was a successful business person, Fast said. It was his understanding Summers had taken a job with a Seattle shipyard, and was commuting every weekend, Fast said. The pastor said he was surprised to learn Summers was working in Portland.
It was just this past October, when fast invited Summers to speak about his transformation to the congregation, something the church videotaped and shares through its website. He spoke of the joy permeating his life, Fast said.
A memorial service is set for 11 a.m. on Saturday at Church on the Hill in McMinnville, Ore., according to Fast. Much of Summers’ family lives there, the pastor said.
The accident occurred on Swan Island, at Cascade General Shipyard, according to a fire department spokesperson.
Oregon OSHA is investigating, Firefighter and Public Information Officer Paul Corah said.
Courtesy photo by Portland Fire and Rescue
Tags: By Sharyn L. Decker, news reporter