Has anyone noticed siblings growing more distant and/or cutting ties after their last parent dies?

[No Vested Interest]

13. Thanks for your kind words. Gender breakdown =

Boy, girl, boy, girl.

As I inferred, all very different personality styles.
Both boys/brothers left the area in young twenties, younger sister eventually left after divorce.
I- female- had married a man who had relocated from the East Coast & made his career with a major corporation in the area.

I wish I could offer some words to you re your sister and your need for family.
With her husband in an assisted-living facility, she may have quite a burden to handle, even though his physical needs are taken care of. Plus, you never know what might be going on with her daughters and their families, etc.

Many possibilities there for you re keeping doors open.

I have found- oddly enough- that many of my nieces and nephews have Facebook accounts, and by "friending" them, I'm able to get a little insight into what's going on in their lives and now and again offer encouraging comments on their doings and family accomplishments.
I know many people hate Facebook, and there is much to be avoided there, but, in this regard, it has proved useful to me.
I also post photos of some of our ancestors and family stories for the benefit of the younger generations, knowing that a lot of information will be gone when I go. I think and hope that contributes to a sense of family.

I do not get into political dialogue with them, as many are conservative, some in the extreme. Even with my own conservative son, we just don't go there, as our familial regard is more important to us than politics, and we both know that discussions are not productive. He is a good person, and that is good enough for me.

Good luck in your efforts to keep family doors open.