OVERSTREET, David

OVERSTREET, David

04-Aug-1943 - 27-Aug-2020

David H. Overstreet, beloved husband, father, and renowned scientist, gently passed away in his favorite chair on August 27th, 2020 after a valiant fight against cancer. David is survived by his wife, Judy, daughters Susan O’Malley, Jaqueline Wheeler, Kathryn LaPlaca, and Rebecca Overstreet, and son, Matthew Overstreet, eleven grandchildren, and five great-grandchildren.

Born on August 4th, 1943 to Blanche Black and Edwin Overstreet, David attended Dos Palos High School and graduated Phi Beta Kappa with a B.A. in psychology from UC-Berkeley. He taught high school in Dos Palos, California for four years, and then returned to his studies at UC-Irvine, graduating with a PhD in Psychobiology in 1972.

David married his high school classmate, Judy Zito, in 1972 and moved to Australia to take a position in the Biology Department of Flinders University of South Australia. While there, he was key in the development of two special strains of rats which continue to be used extensively in the study of depression and alcoholism in humans. In 1990, he moved to UNC-Chapel Hill and spend almost 20 years working for the Bowles Center for Alcohol Studies. Throughout his long career, he was responsible for over 300 publications. He retired in 2009 to care for his ailing mother and to make way for younger researchers.

He played, coached, and watched all types of sports and excelled at competitive contract bridge. David was a movie buff, had an encyclopedic knowledge of trivia, and kept a ready arsenal of dad jokes. Thank god he was able to spend his last days surrounded by family who loved him. He fell asleep in his favorite chair and never awoke. We miss him terribly.

A virtual memorial will be held on Sunday, October 17th at 11:00 am (ACDT). Please send an email to dhoverstreetmemorial@yahoo.com to participate in the service.