erased iPad (gen 3) requires passcode

FYI, I found a reply by Kappy for a similar question. See How to factory reset IPad 3rd Gen, forgot… - Apple Community. Kappy's directions following "If none of the above work for you, then:" got me to the point that the iPad is in recovery mode and downloading the latest OS9 that is available. I will post again once it finishes (40 minutes?) with results

Sigh. The macbook saw the iPad when I connected it, and the download started (according to the macbook), but the iPad never detected the connection (it seems to have timed out). Maybe some handshake from iTunes is missing in modern Finders. Repeating the whole process (as Kappy's post suggests), it now looks like the iPad is participating in the process (Apple logo and a progress bar are now on iPad screen, and progress bar is advancing).

Success! it is now fully factory reset and allowing a new setup. It took a lot of patience as some of the steps were very slow and showed no progress for long periods. So bottom line, follow Kappy's instructions (see link above).

Thanks for the reply. The link you gave required a passcode, but it had a further link for forgotten passcode. Even though that link was for iPhones I tried to follow the directions but the "computer and cable" never appears, if I click on the ipad device in the finder my macbook sits at the "Trust" step with a spinner forever. I do have to go through a converter for USB <-> USBC to plug the iPad into my macbook pro, maybe that is a problem since it is not an Apple made converter.

I am now up to a 15 minute lockout after another passcode try... not sure how many tries I have before it bricks.

As for usefulness, it might run the gmail app (it used to anyway)... and that is about all my wife wants.

Yeah, I hear you. She actually just wants it to look at knitting patterns on the web. So if a browser works and she stays away from logging onto any accounts with the browser, it seems like the risk is minimal.