The following are some specific suggestions to consider when helping a grieving person. This sounds as though the loss is insignificant and deprives the person of the natural emotions of grief. Taking an honest attitude of 'I know this is tough to go through' gives the bereaved a chance to express and thus recover from grief. It would be far better to sit silently and say nothing than to make obvious attempts to distract. Let's not talk about it' Well-meaning people often use this method of not mentioning the deceased, but the implication is the subject is too terrible to discuss politely.
Tears are a healthy expression of grief.
Helping someone cry, being there with a shoulder to cry on is one of the most healing things one person can do for another. The repression of grief hampers growth. Grieving people need to talk. Rather than worry about saying the right thing, concentrate upon warm, non-judgmental listening. Though the bereaved may want to repeat the same things a dozen times, these feelings need repetition to be dispelled.