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What started as a leisurely drive across state lines for "Pap Paw," to the Silo Hill Sunoco in Emmitsburg led to the biggest win of the retired trucker's Lottery career, as he cashed in a $1,000-a-week-for-life prize, easily topping the hundreds of dollars he's claimed over the years.
The Maryland native who now lives in Pennsylvania said that he would get on the road each day for work and drive across the Maryland State line for more than a decade to play select games as the jackpots swelled and continued to roll.
Popular games for "Pap Paw" included "Multi-Match," "Mega Millions," and "Powerball," though it is safe to say that "Cash 4Life" may be his new favorite.
"I've only missed playing maybe two or three days in all those years," he mused to Lottery officials. "I didn't give up," the grandfather of 12 continued.
The fateful victory for the lucky lotto player started out on Sunday, Sept. 10, when he drove from Franklin County into Frederick County to purchase a ticket for the drawing on Monday, Sept. 11.
That $4 ticket turned into $1,000 a week prize after he matched five of the winning numbers, missing only on the game's Cash Ball.
"Pap Paw" couldn't believe his good fortune, and the 79-year-old retiree called in one of his three sons to confirm the win.
"I had already checked it five times," he said, though his son was able to verify that his father had indeed won the second-tier prize.
"The winner went into one establishment and waited until all of the other customers left before seeking the clerk’s help," Lottery officials said. "When she scanned the ticket, 'her eyes got really big,'” "Pap Paw" recalled.
With this windfall of newfound cash, the widower joked that he will upgrade his flip phone to something a little more modern before hitting the water for some fishing and saving the rest for his family.
This marks just the eighth time that a Maryland Lottery player has won such a lofty prize since the state began offering the tickets in 2016.
Nationally, there have been 68 top-prize winners who will get $1,000 a day for life, and 183 second-tier winners who are enjoying the same prize as "Pap Paw."
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