Mirko Marweg, the Delta Air Lines worker who was among the casualties in a deadly tire explosion at the Atlanta airport this week, was oh so close to retiring before his tragic death.

Mirko’s widow, Scottie Ann Marweg, says her late husband was planning on retiring next June … after working his paint shop job with Delta for two decades.

His wife of 28 years also told WANF News in Georgia she was still having a hard time processing Mirko’s death … explaining she is still in “disbelief.”

Mirko’s wife remembers her late husband for his big heart and big smile … and she says he would help anyone, loved his family, was smart, and was a planner.

Based on her description, it sounds like Mirko was planning his retirement and looking forward to hanging it up … but he never got the chance.

As we reported … Mirko and Luis Aldarondo died Tuesday when a tire blew up while being removed from a Delta plane at Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta Airport.

Mirko’s son says his father’s body was so badly burned he was hardly recognizable … and he was only able to be identified by his tattoos and the lanyard around his neck.