Ralph and Nancy Lapole of Hagerstown celebrated their 20th wedding anniversary |
Hagerstown couple nabs first top-prize win
Typically, a couple celebrates a wedding anniversary with dinner or remembrances. Tell that to Ralph and Nancy Lapole of Hagerstown, who celebrated their 20th wedding anniversary by driving an hour to the Maryland Lottery in Baltimore to claim a $50,000 Bonus Match 5 winning ticket.
Together for more than 37 years, the lovebirds are no strangers to winning big Bonus Match 5 prizes. In fact, they achieved two $1,000 wins already this year!
“I play every day,” said Ralph, who volunteers with the Hagerstown Police Department. “We’re usually pretty lucky, but we’ve never won this much.” When they took their most recent winning ticket to a clerk to have it checked, they were told to go to Lottery headquarters to cash the ticket.
“When we matched four numbers the last two times, we won $1,000,” Nancy said. “For some reason I thought we won $2,000.”
Imagine their surprise when the store clerk informed the seniors that their $6 Bonus Match 5 ticket was worth a staggering $50,000. “We just looked at each other,” Nancy said.
She shared that all of her co-workers at an area nursing home know all about the win. “They all crowded around when I told them,” she said, laughing.
The couple plans to pay a few small bills with the money in addition to paying off their daughter’s car. They bought their lucky ticket at United Petroleum at 890 Pennsylvania Avenue in Hagerstown.