[Seahawk]

A couple of things.

One, I think you are trying to do the right thing.

There are some basic questions that need to be asked (my wife just went through this with her father who died two months ago and the estate - if you can call it that - was a mess).

Did he have a will?
If so, who is the Executor?
If it is the wife, she can legally appoint you to work through the very issues you are facing. This is very important. Don't do to much more without a defined role. The problem is not you rather the relations that may get antsy with what you are doing.

Nice car, valuable house, skin flint with odd ownership trails, etc. People will imagine all sort of hidden assets and assume you are after the treasure.

All kinds of trouble lurk in estate settling, from which the mother(s) of all unintended consequences spring!

Talk to a lawyer friend and see what he or she thinks. Edit: The best advice my wife got concerning her father's estate was from the funeral home, no kidding.

Good luck.