In terms of both affecting and engaging, it does more with less than anything I've ever seen. It isn't particularly lengthy, and the subject matter is not that extraordinary.
It's a couple years old; I think I initially discovered it through the Longreads "Best of 2011" list.
This is sad and scary. One of my worst fears would be to die like this. Alone.
The Longreads best of lists are a goldmine. I've submitted some of that stuff.
What's really interesting here is how easy it is to skate under the radar as someone who should be "committed," if you simply don't break the law to a very great extent. Families fragment so naturally across long distances now...
I wonder if the tragic irony of the obituary line was what inspired this journalist to really dig into the story and longform it.