These lottery winners will keep on working
Wouldn’t it be great to have a job that you love so much that you would keep working even if you didn’t have to? That seems to be the case with Bob and Pat Green.
Together, they own and operate a motorcycle repair garage. Bob says he will continue running the business for as long as he enjoys doing it.
The Greens recently won the UK Lotto jackpot, which means they are US$4.3 million richer.
Pat was at home the morning she discovered they had won. She immediately called Bob and told him. He kept working that full day like nothing had happened, though when he got home they did celebrate a bit.
The Greens have a 33-year old son, Stewart, who still lives at home with them. They are using their recent publicity to put out a plea for a wife for him. Jokingly, Bob said, “He is not engaged or married, so if there is anybody who can help him out, he’s looking for a rich lady with sporting interests.”
The Greens also plan to do some improvements on their home, and buy another motorcycle or two.
Newest millionaire keeps verbal agreement to share winnings with family
We often hear of stories about how sudden wealth tears a family apart. Sometimes seemingly loving people can become jealous and greedy when large sums of money enter the picture.
This story is quite different.
Barrie Edwards bought a couple of Pennsylvania Lottery tickets, and due to a promotion that was going on at the time, he got a free Powerball ticket as a bonus. That extra “freebie” ticket won him the $86.3 million jackpot.
A long time ago, the Edwards and the Funk families agreed that if any of them ever won a big jackpot, they would split the winnings among themselves. Barrie Edwards is keeping to that agreement.
He was watching the Powerball drawing on television when he learned he held the winning ticket. His wife, Jean, had already gone to bed but he ran and woke her up to tell her the good news. They then called his brother and sister-in-law to tell them about the win.
“At first they didn’t believe us,” said Jean. “Then they sort of went into shock.”
Here is how the money (taken in a lump sum, with taxes deducted) will be distributed:
Barrie and Jean Edwards: $17,064,882
Terry and Linda Edwards: $17,064,882
Robert and Elaine Funk: $1.4 million
Jeffrey and Donna Funk: $1.4 million
Melanie Funk: $1.4 million
Gerald and Lynn Hess: $1.4 million
K. Scott Edwards: $1.4 million
Ronald and Yvonne Edwards: $1.4 million
Oh, there was one other winner - the Turkey Hill convenience store where the ticket was printed also received a $100,000 prize.
Football player scores big with the lottery
Mike Eynon is an offensive lineman for the Ohio University Bobcats (in Athens, Ohio). His first score this season took place at a local convenience store recently.
Eynon bought a lottery ticket, and ended up matching 5 numbers - winning him a nice $250,000. Of course, after taxes, his actual check will be for about $172,000.
He is a senior at the university, and said he plans to put the money toward his schooling. He is only an occasional lottery player.
From Lottery multimillionaire to federal prisoner
Rhoda Toth’s life has been like a roller coaster.
First, she won $13 million in the Florida Lottery. Then she behaved seemingly without benefit of the thought process; she and her husband filed false tax returns for several years to avoid paying federal income tax on the winnings (Toth’s husband, Alex, has since passed away).
When charged with the crime, Toth was determined to have no assets. The only electricity she had was from an extension cord hooked to their car engine (how does that even work?). Her claim was the standard one of lottery winners who don’t know how to manage their money: it was all spent on gambling, giving gifts to family and friends, and just generally living it up.
She has been ordered to pay the IRS back taxes of $1.1 million, at a rate of $100 per month (starting after her release from prison). Yeah, that’s a debt that will be paid of in no time.
Would you bet $50,000 for a chance to win $1 million? Yes, you would.
Judith Yap is hoping her luck holds out for a second win.
Last month Yap, a nurse, won $150,000 in the lottery where she lives (Illinois). In Illinois, you can turn in $30 of losing tickets to get your name in a drawing for the “Replay for Riches” promotion. Her name was drawn for the $150,000 prize.
But she now has a chance to multiply that prize. She and 6 others have the opportunity to risk one-third of their winnings (in her case, $50,000) for a 1-in-6 chance at $1 million.
Yap’s logic at taking the risk? “I think, what the heck. If you go to the final event, you’re still going to walk away with $100,000.” It’s hard to argue with that! She did admit that she will be nervous when the time comes though.