Total lockout?

[Yrkddn]

After my wife died I wiped her iPad thinking to sell it. I recently tried to start it up again and it is asking for me to login. I’ve expended a variety of login codes with no luck. I’m concerned that I’m on the edge of a total lockout if I’m not careful. Tips/suggestions?

 

[twerppoet]

You probably forgot to remove it from her iCloud account. You'll need to track that down and either use it to log into the iPad, or remove the iPad from her account.

It's probably and older iPad, so the instructions below won't be exact, but they should be close enough to you figure out what to do.

What to do before you sell, give away, or trade in your iPhone or iPad - Apple Support

Use these steps to transfer information to your new device and, if applicable, remove your personal information from your old device.

support.apple.com

If you don't have (or can't find) her icloud account you will have to go through Apple to unlock the iPad. Expect to have to show both ownership, proof of death, and a long time waiting. I'm not sure what their processes is, but quite a few people have found it difficult to impossible to meet.

I'm guessing Apple would rather see dozens of articles about unhappy people who could not unlock a deceased relatives iPad than a single article about how someone tricked then into unlocking an iPad they shouldn't have. Something similar happened once, and the press pulled no punches. It also damages their reputation they want to maintain about your stuff being secure/safe.