Fran.....
the truth is always best .....
when my ex-wife passed away at age 32 tragicly I had to explain it to my 12 yr old son & the best way is truthfully so they can go on with life, understand what has happened and hopefully become stronger thruout their lives when issues occur....most of all be there to support them also.

Hang in there, your friends are here.

Donny