Friday, June 8, 2001
Friday, June 8, 2001 |
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PTC neighborhood shocked by tragic Ohio accident that killed wife, twin daughters By JOHN
MUNFORD
Though in their early 40s, Gary and Nancy Hinkle were ecstatic about adopting their three-year-old twin girls just after they were born. Unable to have children of their own, the Peachtree City couple rearranged their lives in three short weeks so they could adopt Emily and Elizabeth from a family friend back in Ohio. Since then, the couple's lives revolved entirely around the twins, neighbors say. "My, they were thrown for a loop," close friend Mary Hamblin remembered with a chuckle. "They were older and had never had kids and now they had twins. It was chaos!" Friends and neighbors of the Hinkles are still recovering from the news of the auto accident that took the lives of Nancy, Emily and Elizabeth. On their way home from an Ohio vacation Monday afternoon, their car was struck head-on by a sport utility vehicle during a heavy downpour. Gary Hinkle, who was driving, survived the wreck although he is expected to spend several more days in the hospital recuperating with more surgery scheduled. He was listed in serious condition Thursday morning. Hamblin and Vicki Harris had planned to meet Nancy Hinkle to celebrate their June birthdays during an evening out Tuesday night. Instead, they met with their neighbors on Vermillion Lane to grieve the loss of the girls and their devoted mother, who served as the official "nurse" of the block. Ironically, Nancy had called Harris minutes before the accident, to let her know she'd make their birthday gathering. "She said they had gotten off to a late start, but she wanted me to know they'd be here late Monday night," Harris said tearfully. Nancy put the girls on the phone and Harris remembers hearing Emily say "see you later, alligator." The Hinkles' Vermillion Lane neighbors have banded together to make sure the lawn is taken care of and they have also established a memorial fund at The Bank of Georgia (see box above) in honor of Nancy and the twins. Parents of children at the girls' day care center have also offered to help out, and Nancy's co-workers will help through the memorial fund, Hamblin said. Gary had been laid off from NCR in Peachtree City weeks before the accident, although family members report the company has agreed to extend his medical benefits to cover his hospital stay. "We just feel if we could help him financially, that's the least we could do," Harris said. Harris and Hamblin worry about Gary facing life without Nancy, Elizabeth and Emily. Fortunately, he has family members in Ohio to rely on, they said. He and Nancy grew up there, and Gary has said he knew he would marry her when they were in fifth grade, Hamblin said. Gary was a devoted husband, particularly when it came to planting Nancy's flowers, Harris said. She would show him the exact spot to plant the flowers, but she left the digging up to her husband, Hamblin said. Nancy would set aside her entire weekends for the kids, making them her top priority. On weekdays, she rushed home from work so the family could take a golf cart ride to dinner. "His whole life revolved around 'Nance' and the girls," Hamblin said, recalling him toting the kids back and forth to day care while Nancy, a nurse at a metro Atlanta V.A. Hospital, commuted to work in the early mornings. "He would just look at them and they'd crack him up. You could see the twinkle in his eyes." Hamblin said her heart also went out to the driver of the SUV that struck the Hamblins. Gerrad Rushlow, 19, of Newport, Mich. has been officially charged with three counts of vehicular homicide by the Ohio Highway Patrol. "I feel sorry for that kid and both families," Hamblin said, noting that the Hinkle family didn't harbor ill will towards the youth. "This is a situation where nobody wins." A memorial fund for Nancy, Emily and Elizabeth Hinkle has been established. Contributions may be sent to The Bank of Georgia, 2008 Hwy. 54 West, Fayetteville, Ga., 30214. For more information, contact Vicki or Mike Harris at 770-632-0460.
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