Marble Falls, TX Estate Planning Law Firms & Lawyers

Your sister has no legal obligation to inform you of anything.  If there was no Will and you were an heir under Texas law, the attorney of the person applying to probate the estate would have sent you a Distributee's Agreement.  If there was a Will and you were a named beneficiary, the attorney for the person whom the Will appointed and the Court named as executor of the Will and estate would have sent you a Notice to Beneficiary after the Court admitted the Will to probate.  Based on your description, it appears that there was a Will and that you were not named as a beneficiary.

Ohio only recognizes a persons matrimonial status to be 1. Married or 2. Single. As long as he was married to your stepmother, she qualifies as his surviving spouse and is entitled to 1/3rd of his estate. However, if they had a written or court ordered separation, that takes away her inheritance rights, that would void her rights to any part of his estate.

The answer to your question depends on many facts that are not presented. Chief among them is whether your father is still alive and if so, is he legally competent. If he is legally competent, the answer is always no you cannot take control of his estate. If he is alive but not competent, you will need to go to court to have yourself appointed the conservator of his estate. If he is dead, it depends on whether he left a will or not. If he left a Will, were you nominated to be the executor? Was someone else? If he did not leave a Will, are you his only child? Was he married at the time of death? In all cases, is there any reason why you would not qualify as the person to be in charge?