Help Us Place a Memorial for Marcus Overstreet

My name's Daniel Gregory. My best friend, Christopher Marcus Overstreet of Demopolis, AL, passed away a year and a half ago suddenly and unexpectedly. I'm trying to raise money for a memorial stone or statue for him or at least some help or assistance buying one. Because he will have one, if I have to save and save and save long enough to buy one by myself.

But it would be appreciated and go a long way if I had some help.

He was one of the best people I've ever met. He was tough, sure, but he had a good heart. He was the most understanding and patient person I've ever met. He was funny, fun, just positive and creative.

He lost his mother at a young age, around 8. She made pottery and I think was a teacher. After she passed, his father got into drinking, and Marcus went to live with his Grandma, Mrs. Betty Roark. His dad passed away when Marcus was either in his late teens or early 20s. His dad, Harold, was a funny, fun, hardworking guy who tried to be present in his life, but Harold knew Marcus was better with Mrs. Betty because of his drinking. Fast forward to about 2019 when his grandma passed away, leaving Marcus on his own pretty much except for an uncle, who did not like Marcus or ever try to because Mrs. Betty had made Marcus an equal heir of her home, making it an estate his uncle had to share with him. This didn't sit well with his uncle, who then basically estranged Marcus and at best distanced himself from him.

Despite all those setbacks and losses, he was always pretty much happy and positive. Always ready to help out or give advice and stuff. He was older and wiser than most of our friend group, which was actually pretty big, and he knew it, but he never abused it. He was a musician, mostly playing drums and some guitar. He earned a scholarship to the University of West Alabama through music and band. He was an artist also and was very good with oil paints and spray paint. Once he was out of school for some time, he joined the Marine Corps and became a sharpshooter until he received his honorable discharge and came home.

He married, and things didn't work just right. They had taken a little time to sort things out and redirect themselves and decide what they were going to do when his wife, in limbo, was killed in a car accident. He never complained or asked why, but it all took its toll on him. I spent about a year, maybe more, just spending time with him and getting him out of the blues the best I could despite every kind of bad woman you could think of that looked decent trying their best to keep him down, it seemed like. But despite it all, he got back on his feet, shed those nasty exes, and got himself back working as a painter. He got a new girlfriend and got his life starting to go back to normal.

Well, at the beginning of last year, he had to go to the hospital, and we found out he had heart problems, a murmur, and an enlarged lobe that I know of. He was in CCU when I came home from Florida working. He fought and stayed in the hospital for 40 days when he finally got out in March. He seemed okay for a while and stuff; he just took things slow. He had told me that the medicine they had him taking was very expensive, and it was. I helped as much as I could. He was my favorite friend and my brother. I did everything I could, but he told me he had been halving his medicine to make it stretch... And on May 15th, I got a phone call from a friend of ours, and they told me Marcus had passed away from heart failure, and it just knocked the wind out of me. He was only 38; it devastated me and many, many others.

His uncle, with help from the V.A., mostly the V.A., bought Marcus a very nice urn and flowers and things for his funeral. Everyone was expecting to go to the wake and funeral and say their goodbyes. I got there 2 hours early and was the last to leave. But when we went inside the sanctuary, there was only a nice wreath and a good set of pictures of my friend and an urn. His uncle had had him cremated, I'm sure to save money, even though he has plenty of money. He did it to be heinous and cold. Mad that his mom had made his nephew his equal in the inheritance. Well, what he didn't know is Marcus wanted to be cremated anyway.

When the service was completed, which was not at all what my friend would have chosen but straight from a generic service his uncle had picked, it could have been worse, so it's fine. But when everyone was leaving, I told Marcus's, I call her his widow, his woman, I told her to grab the guest book so we could write them thank yous for coming. It was only me, his uncle, his aunt, and his widow then in the chapel. I got the book for her and turned, and there his aunt basically unloaded all the photos into my arms, and his uncle was trying to put his urn on top. I handed the photos and book to Marcus's widow as quickly as I could because I wanted to get and hold the urn with as much care and respect as possible. I've never held one, and this is my best friend and really the only person I spent any time with other than my family. It's killing me. But I quickly said to his uncle, "You guys don't want the urn or photos?" They both put their sunglasses on and turned and walked off, and only one of them even said, "No."

Well, his widow is now almost homeless. His uncle kicked her out, and the police helped even though the utilities are in her name, and it hadn't even begun the probate process. I had just 2 friends of mine to help get everything that she could out of there while the police gave us no help and 15 minutes.

Well, some time has gone by now, a year and 6 months, and Marcus's birthday is on October 24th. After being lied to for over a year now about a memorial stone in our local cemetery by his aunt and uncle, I just am going to have to get one myself. I'm not trying to buy anything elaborate, but my friend deserves a marker and stuff at least beside his family. They have plots there paid for already, and his mom and dad have a spot right beside his Grandma. Even though he was cremated, I plan on discussing burying his urn with his parents and Grandmother with his widow. This is both of our first times having to do all of this.

Our families have been buried beside each other for over 100 years in Memorial Gardens in Demopolis, AL, so I'd like to put a memorial stone or statue there with the rest of his family for friends and family to come and have a place to pay respects and give flowers, flags, and things and to remember my greatest friend who was an awesome soul, a hero, a teacher, an artist, a rocker, an animal lover, just fun, an awesome friend, and one of the best men I've ever had the pleasure of knowing. I'm aiming to get him a headstone or statue that's adequate but not over the top. My goal is ($1500 +/-), and if it cost anything more, I'll just work and cover it myself. I appreciate anyone that took the time to read this. I appreciate any and all thoughts, prayers, donations, help, and even just your time to read my brother's story. Thank you.

-D.L. Gregory

F.&A.M. #41 Livingston, Alabama