Take on the Lonely Death of George Bell

This week the NYTimes ran a piece (http://mobile.nytimes.com/2015/10/18/nyregion/dying-alone-in-new-york-city.html?_r=0) on a man who passed away in NYC, it was the equivalent of the "If a tree falls in a forest but nobody is around to hear" thing. Thousands of people die every year and nobody notices and the story of George Bell is probably the same as hundreds of other. The only time anybody even notices something is wrong is when the neighbors call to say there is an awful smell creeping from under their door. Officials come in, find a body, surrounded by belongings, search the property and find nobody to call. there is no one to claim their body, no family members to call and no friends or coworkers to attend a funeral. The city life goes on just like any other day...for everybody except a few people who have to sort this all out. In the case of Bell, he was a hoarder and had his house packed with Betamax tapes, baseball cards, Chinese takeout boxes and everything else under the sun...that and about a quarter of a million dollars. He had a will from 30 years ago which named three people only one of whom could be located and that dude said that he hardly knew Bell, even thirty years ago.
He had virtually no contact with anybody ever and he seemed to like it that way. It was obvious this man didn't have any friends and that was a conscious decision, he never let anybody into his house and died amongst all his possessions safely buried behind the chain lock door of his apartment.
The article is good and worth the read but two thing struck with me about this story of old George Bell

-There is a sad irony in that this man who lived his life trying to keep to himself is features in this piece for the whole world to see and his entire lifestyle exposed. He went from a guy who, by his own wishes, nobody knew was alive -or dead later on- to a guy whose story is front page fodder

- I'd hope the Blue Jays would at least wear a patch for the remainder of their postseason.