Couple bought one of two Bonus Match 5 winning tickets in Oct. 2 drawing
Tears welled up in her eyes as a Rosedale grandmother of five described her joy at learning that she and her husband won $50,000 Wednesday night playing the Maryland Lottery game Bonus Match 5.
“It’s so nice to have enough to help others,” said the retired 65-year-old secretary. “Tears come to my eyes. All our lives we had to work for every little dime. Now, God has blessed us with money to buy much-needed things and help our family.”
The Oct. 2 Bonus Match 5 drawing had winning digits of 11-12-14-15-17 with Bonus Ball 06. The numbers were a match with two tickets sold in Baltimore and Mechanicsville. Our happy Rosedale couple didn’t tarry in claiming their prize. They arrived at Lottery headquarters in Baltimore early Thursday afternoon. The second lucky ticket holder has not yet stepped forward and has 182 days to claim the second $50,000 prize.
The husband followed his decades-long practice of playing Bonus Match 5 by manually picking his numbers. The retired Baltimore County inspector plays the same combination of his parents’ birthdays. “This win was overdue,” said the smiling 67-year-old.
Even though he never won, he never lost hope. He doesn’t always play at the same store but on Oct. 2, he bought his ticket at his favorite Lottery retailer before heading home for the evening. Around 8:30 p.m., he checked the numbers online and that’s when his day quit being routine.
“The way he called out to me,” his wife said, “I thought I had to call an ambulance. He’s sickly and I didn’t know what was wrong. When I found out we’d won, tears just ran down my face.”
The couple has three adult children, the five grandchildren (one of whom has a medical condition) and relatives who are struggling. “It’s a dream,” she said. “I can’t believe I’m awake and we won.”
While much of the money will go to help family members, the husband said the couple will also enjoy treating themselves with some of the winnings. Their retailer was Rosedale Discount Liquors at 6403 Kenwood Ave. in Baltimore. The second retailer that sold a winning Bonus Match 5 ticket was Sea Breeze Restaurant at 27130 South Sandgates Road in Mechanicsville.