Fall may be in full swing in most of Maryland, but in a small corner of Anne Arundel County winter is in full roar – and it is very welcome. Mary Kronsteiner of Pasadena is the latest winner of the Winter Riches scratch-off, and the $100,000 the game delivered will make any of winter’s sometimes unpleasant aspects a bit easier to handle.
Mary is a big fan of Maryland Lottery scratch-offs and they’ve returned that affection with $1,000 and $5,000 wins in the past. Earlier this week, she stopped by her favorite Lottery store – Plaza Liquors at 4125 Mountain Road in Pasadena – to try her luck and decided to give Winter Riches a try.
“I played it right there in the store,” she told officials, “and as the numbers started matching I began saying to myself that something was wrong, this couldn’t be right.” Confirmation from the owner, with a celebratory hug thrown in, sent her off to share the news with her husband. When he, and then later her daughter, first saw the look on Mary’s face they were sure something was wrong, “What’s happened?” they asked. When she told them what happened, she was met with the same disbelief that she’d felt earlier. “My husband didn’t believe me. In fact, with the check in my hand he probably still won’t – this is just incredible.”
The retired state employee has no immediate plans for her winnings, family savings the immediate beneficiary. “One thing’s for certain, the upcoming holidays are going to be very special.”