Thank you, all of you. Relationships are complicated as they are both biological and step-relationships. However, all are good as they have been over the years. My wife (David's step-mother.) is the center-piece that is holding everybody together. Each of us is dealing with this in their own way. That is normal and healthy. People differ and do not have to deal with this in the same way. David's wife told us yesterday that she would like to have the funeral in early October. We understand her thinking and all are in agreement.
Me: I am working very hard in a number of ways, to develop something of lasting good out of this for our society as a whole--something of benefit in the years to come. That is how I am coping. If I am successful, you will hear about this in the future. If I am not, I will probably also tell that story. But, for now, it is not appropriate to talk about what I am doing. At this time, I am working on two different proposals.
October 27, 2024: It looks like I have had some success, and I will be able to identify it later.