W. Va. Code § 44-1-1: Executor has no powers before qualifying.

A person appointed to be the executor of a will shall not have the powers of executor until he or she qualifies by taking an oath and giving bond, unless not required to post bond by §44-1-8 of this code, which shall then be admitted to the records of the clerk of the county in which the will, or an authenticated copy thereof, is admitted to record, except that he or she may provide for the burial of the testator, pay reasonable funeral expenses, and preserve the estate from waste.