The bank wants to send me insurance checks made out to "THE ESTATE OF MY DECEASED HUSBANDS NAME" INSTEAD OF MY NAME- how do I go about cashing them?

This is SOP. When a person dies, any money due that person should be paid to his estate, not any one person.

You need to get yourself designated as the executor of his estate, then open an account for the estate. The checks can then be deposited into that account and paid out as necessary.