Obit: Barton, Eugene J. (? - 1980)

Contact: Dolores (Mohr) Kenyon
E-mail: dolores@wiclarkcountyhistory.org 

Surnames: Barton, Prock, Liychik, Carland

----Source: Clark County Press (Neillsville, Clark Co., WI) 7/31/1980

Barton, Eugene J. (? - 30 April 1980)

A Christie native, who later became one of Minnesota’s major highway builders, died of a heart attack on April 30, it was learned recently. Suffering a fatal cardiac arrest was Eugene J. Barton, 67, of Wayzata, Minnesota.

Barton was born and raised in the Christie area, the son of Albert and Agnes (Prock) Barton. He was an independent trucker before World War II. After training pilots in the war, he bought surplus government road building equipment and went into business for himself.

His companies built or played a role in paving I-94 in St. Paul, I-694 and I-494 in the Twin Cities and I-35 from suburban St. Paul to near Duluth. His company set a state highway department record for installing more than two miles of 9-inch reinforced paving in a single day.

Barton was head of four companies, each involved in different aspects of road construction. They included Barton Contracting, Commercial Asphalt and Commercial Asphalt Equipment Company, all of Osseo, Minnesota; and Barton Enterprises, Newport, Minnesota.

Barton was noted for his personal involvement, innovativeness and perfectionist attitude toward company construction efforts. A business partner stated that even though he had a lack of “formal education … he had tremendous foresight and ability.” Even though he had a corporate headquarters, Barton operated mainly out of his car, a vehicle equipped with several radios and telephones. Barton was also an avid flyer, fisherman, hunter and conservationist.

Surviving him is his wife, Vera; two daughters, Mrs. Eugene Liychik and Mrs. Thomas Carland, both of Minneapolis; three sisters; and seven grandchildren.

A funeral mass was held on May 3 from Immaculate Conception Catholic Church in Columbia Heights, Minnesota, with burial made in the Hillside Cemetery, Minneapolis.