John Michael "Mike" Summers, who grew up in the wood flooring industry and later served as a manufacturers' rep and territory manager in the Northwest, died Sunday in Portland, Ore., after falling into a chemical holding tank. He was 57.
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John Michael "Mike" Summers, who grew up in the wood flooring industry and later served as a manufacturers' rep and territory manager in the Northwest, died Sunday in Portland, Ore., after falling into a chemical holding tank. He was 57.
According to multiple media reports, Summers was working on a barge when he fell into a tank filled with lignin amine, a toxic and corrosive chemical used in agriculture. Rescue crews responded to the scene and recovered Summers' body from the tank about 45 minutes later.
Authorities said Summers apparently opened the tank hatch, passed out from the fumes and fell in. Lt. Rich Tyler with Portland Fire and Rescue said the air around the chemical would have contained less than 1 percent oxygen, a level low enough to cause a person to pass out and suffocate.
Summers grew up in the wood flooring industry, helping out his dad on job sites from the time he was about 7 years old. He shared a funny story about helping his dad at a job site-and accidentally riding a big machine down a set of stairs-with the readers of Hardwood Floors in a Tale from the Front in the October/November 2008 issue.
Later, Summers worked full time with Summers Flooring & Design based in Bend, Ore. In 2007, Summers began working as a technical director for UFloor Systems Inc. Between 2007 and 2009, he was a fixture at NWFA technical schools, sharing stories about growing up in the wood flooring industry and contributing to the magazine. He earned his NWFA Craftsman Degree in 2009, as well.
Steve Lee, flooring manager at distributor Hardwood Industries in Sherwood, Ore., worked with Summers throughout his years as a flooring installer.
"He was exceptional. He always had a smile on his face and a big hug ready for you. I'm kind of a big guy, and Mike was a big guy, and when the two of us got together, we had one major hug in there. He cared about people an awful lot. He saw a lot of good in everybody he touched, and I'm sure there are a lot of people that are going to miss him."
On Summers' Facebook wall, his sister Diana Turner wrote that he was "amazing, wonderful, intelligent, loving, and now so free." She added, "Life will never be the same without my precious brother."
Pictured in February 2009, Summers (standing) instructs a student on installing a medallion during a technical school hosted at NWFA headquarters in St. Louis.
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