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April 2021 4LL[ 9VZLTHY` :[YHOT :LL 7HNL
Allen County Edition Editio Reaching Fort Wayne And Surrounding Counties E
www.seniorlifenewspapers.com
o 12 Vol. 33, No.
Sometimes best friends come in pairs
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%\ 9,1&( /$%$5%(5$ )HDWXUH :ULWHU According to some statistics, identical twins account for approximately three or four out of every 1,000 births. In comparison, about 23 in every 1,000 births are fraternal. Meet identical twins Carol Hohe and Connie Gast, two of 14 children born to Tom and Winnie Eckert in Huntington. The twins birth numbers are four and five of 10 girls and four boys born to the Eckerts. Today there are 49 grandchildren and many greatgrandchildren. Tom Eckert died last Dec. 26 at age 91. Their mother turned 91 this past March 29. Most of the siblings still reside in the Huntington-Markle area and take turns monitoring her care 24 hours a day. Carol and Connie not only share their looks but are nearly identical in personalities, hobbies and interests. Both enjoy antiquing, %5,1*,1* ,1 0(5&+$1 estate sales, flower gardening and spend',6( ³ &DURO +RKH ZKHHOV D ing some winter time in Florida. Their only FDUW RI HUD FROOHFWLEOHV DQG KRPH difference: Connie enjoys pursuing and collecting old books, especially about nature. “I GHFRU IURP DQ HVWDWH VDOH LQWR hate that stuff,” Carol quipped. “It takes up WKH 0DUNOH ([LW $QWLTXH 0DOO 3KRWR SURYLGHG too much time!” The twin’s primary interest is running the Markle Exit 286 Antique Mall for the past 13 years. In the midst of the 2008 financial crisis that devastated Wall Street, Main Street, and the banking and housing industries, Carol and Connie — along with husbands Larry and Nick, respectively — bought the former small antique mall in Markle Aug. 1 prior to its previous owner filing for bankruptcy. Both couples were at an age when many people begin planning for retirement. “We took a big leap and didn’t know what we were doing for sure,” said Carol, who was born a few minutes after her sister Connie. “But we work
well together,” explaining the Gasts took care of the financial side of the transaction while she contributed her knowledge of the antiquing business having been a dealer in Decatur for some 20 years as well as a dealer at the Markle mall. After purchasing the rundown mall, the husbands began building rows of booths, expanding the display space. And as they continued constructing booths, the cubicles were being rented with a need to keep erecting more. Today the Mall consists of about 30,000 square feet with more than 100 dealers renting space in Continued on page 5