Andy: Sorry for your loss. I had a girlfriend whose family went through the same thing when her grandmother passed away. It took some time to locate all of the important papers as ther were in a household safe that no one knew about. It took her father and I some time and effort to bring it into the yard and break into it since the key couldn't be found. The whole exercise of the family searching the house and having to break into things definitely prolonged the grieving.

Conversely, when my grandfather passed away we had an easier time of it. This was because he had hired an estate planner who handled everything when the time came. Because of his detachment it was easier for him to address things in a way that had been previously agreed to with the family. Also, as executor of the estate he was able to handle issues with the bank and insurance company. Anyone who has even modest assets should consider this approach for the sake of their families.

Chris