A furloughed bus driver has won the Cash4Life lottery jackpot and will receive a payment of $1,000 weekly for the rest of his life.
The winner, identified as Howard Lewis Jr., of Elkton, who lost his job as a bus driver because of the COVID-19 pandemic, bought a $10 Cash4Life ticket as he visited the Royal Farms convenience store at 500 Mechanics Valley Road in North East on Christmas Eve, Dec. 24, Miami Herald reported.
However, Lewis missed the 9 p.m. drawing that night and went to bed. When Lewis woke up at about 3 a.m., he checked his ticket on the state lottery app and realized that he had matched all five winning numbers in the drawing. Lewis will reportedly receive a payment of $1,000 weekly for the rest of his life as lottery winnings.
“I nearly dropped my phone,” Lewis said.
When asked about what he plans to do with the prize money, Lewis said that he intends to spend part of his prize money on home improvements and getting a new pickup truck, WBAL-TV reported.
Meanwhile, the Royal Farms convenience store that sold the winning ticket will receive a $2,500 bonus.
Lewis is the third person in the state to win the $1,000 weekly for life prize in 2021, and the sixth second-tier Maryland winner since 2016.
In a similar but unrelated incident, a North Carolina couple won $200,000 and got the gift of a great retirement on Thursday, Dec. 23.
Kelly McGee, a cafeteria manager, reportedly bought the winning $5 scratch-off ticket at a Bass Country Store in Coats on Thursday, Dec. 23.
After buying the ticket, McGee went back to her car and scratched the stub with her husband, a construction worker. After scratching the card, McGee asked her husband to go back to the store to check if they had won. Shortly after going into the store, McGee's husband ran back to the car to deliver the good news about their lottery win.
“He ran out to tell me we won, but I didn’t believe him, I still don’t believe it,” McGee said. “We’re so blessed and thankful. This will help us with the retirement we deserve.”
The couple decided to take home a lump sum of about $140,501 after tax deductions, the Sacramento Bee reported.
When asked about how they plan to spend their prize money, McGee said that they intend to use the money toward their retirement, paying off a car, and purchasing land.
“We won’t have to worry about anything, but paying the light bill,” she said.
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