This Frederick couple attribute their Powerball luck to a little help from the husband’s late mother. |
A married Frederick couple who run a small business together just experienced an eerie $50,000 Powerball win that has them wondering if they had a little help from the husband’s late mother.
His parents were lucky Lottery players, the husband said, and his mom frequented Plus Mart at 1202 East Patrick Street in Frederick. He and his wife are only occasional Lottery players and she usually gets a ticket whenever she has spare cash. On Oct. 22, realizing the Powerball jackpot had rolled to $620 million for the Oct. 24 drawing, the husband decided to stop at Plus Mart and pick up a Powerball ticket. The folks at Plus Mart remember his parents well so a visit always leads to a chat.
“We were talking about my mom before I bought the ticket,” he said. “They are great people, they work really hard.”
The husband left with a $4 quick-pick ticket and the drawing came and went. “I had that ticket sitting in my wallet for a week,” he said. The 40-something dad was driving home with two of the couple’s five kids one day when he remembered the ticket and decided to check it at Plus Mart.
“I went to park and I told the kids, ‘If you see me jumping up and down I won some money.’” When he returned to the car, he had some explaining to do. “The kids said, ‘Why were you hugging that woman?’” he said, remembering the joy of discovering their big win.
The entrepreneur was one of three Marylanders who won a $50,000 third-tier prize in the Oct. 24 drawing, which had no jackpot winner. The first person he called was their accountant. He and the kids then tried to share the great news with his dubious wife.
“I thought he was just being funny,” she said. “I was busy working on payroll and didn’t believe him.”
The two plan to use the windfall to set up college education funds for their children and a retirement fund for themselves. “It’s amazing the way the universe works,” said the husband, who chose “Thanks, Mom!” as the winner’s name on their Lottery publicity photo.