It is said that, due to physical abuse by his father, he reached the point in his life when he no longer wished to be known as Joseph and changed the order of his given names.
Obituary: Eugene Joseph Barnum was born on December 31, 1919 in Tulare County, CA. He passed away peacefully at the Polidori House in Lake Havasu City, AZ on January 28, 2010, at the age of 90. Eugene graduated high school in Phoenix, AZ and was a veteran of U.S. Army, WWII and the Korean War. He retired from the service in 1968 and moved to Lake Havasu City, AZ in 1972. Eugene is survived by his wife, Virginia; children, Raymond of Tulsa, OK; Kathy, of Lake Havasu City, AZ; and grandchildren, Laura, Kirk, Chris, Vivian, and Olivia. Condolences and thoughts can be made to his family at www.lietz-frazefuneralhome.com. Arrangements were placed under the care of Lietz-Fraze Funeral Home and Crematory.