I’m not sure what you meant by “de-activated.” The executor of a deceased person’s estate is generally obligated to pay the outstanding debts of the deceased. Of course, some debtors don’t make claims. If there aren’t enough assets to pay all of the claims, the executor decides, consistent with applicable state law, who gets paid. Some assets like retirement funds and insurance payouts to heirs are usually not subject to debtors’ claims.
Everything is still in the account, but nobody has access to it. They are all made inactive and inaccessible simultaneously with the filing of that Death Certificate. Once you do the paperwork at the courthouse to become the Executor, you can activate them one by one to be under your control. It’s about a two week process per institution, but you can have them all in process at the same time. Then you can write checks, make deposits, etc.