 Congratulations to lucky De Le from Kensington! De is celebrating her $50,000 Powerball win with her longtime companion Jack Thompson and her daughter Loan Le! |
One of 24 third-tier Maryland wins from record-breaking drawing
Wheaton resident De Le made a smart decision the other day. When paying for her regular Powerball tickets that used her personal numbers, De was told by the Kensington Pharmacy clerk that she still had $2 left. Did she want the money or another Powerball ticket? De decided to use her change to buy a Quick-Pick Powerball ticket. That decision gave her a $50,000 win!
The Jan. 13 drawing came and went. On Thursday morning, her daughter called to remind De to check her tickets. Only then did the grandmother of five see that she matched four white balls plus the Power Ball, making her ticket worth $50,000.
“I play Powerball all the time so this is really exciting,” the 66-year-old told Lottery officials. She claimed her prize while accompanied by her daughter Loan and her longtime companion Jack Thompson.
The retiree plans to pay it forward by giving some of her winnings to her two daughters and grandchildren. She also plans to use some of her prize toward her next trip to her native Vietnam.
“This is a very lucky day,” she said. “In addition to winning this prize, it’s my granddaughter’s birthday!”
De’s lucky Lottery retailer, Kensington Pharmacy, is located at 3737 University Blvd. West in Kensington.
Wednesday night’s world-record $1.6 billion Powerball drawing produced 23 other $50,000 Maryland winners. In addition, the state saw three $1 million, one $100,000 and more than a half million other winners.