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In addition to the emotional support, there are a number of practical things you can do that will be very much appreciated as well.
When staying with her family, help out around the house as much as possible. Do the dishes, laundry, set and clear the table, screen phone calls, make snacks, help with meals, run errands, chauffer etc... Just do it quietly and unintrusively; without making a big deal of it.
These little tasks can be overwhelming and stressful when you're busy trying to greive and make sense of a tragedy. Life goes on and you can help them best by shouldering that burden for while.
When my wife's sister died in a senseless accident a few years ago, I took this role and I could immediately see the positive difference it made. It gave her family space and time to work through their anger and sorrow without the distraction of petty annoyances. It's a tangeable way to show you care beyond kindly platitudes.
This is good advice for helping someone through any extrordinary time of stress.
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Building an artificial intelligence that appreciates Mozart is easy. Building an A.I. that appreciates a theme restaurant is the real challenge - Kit Roebuck - Nine Planets Without Intelligent Life
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