West Virginia Lottery: Husband, wife both buy winning lottery ticketsIt was a double dose of luck for one couple.
Unbeknownst to each other, Richard and Lois Thomas each bought winning tickets from Kompak King, a convenience store in Parkersburg, for Thursday night's West Virginia Lottery Cash 25 drawing.
Richard Thomas, 66, and Lois Thomas, 65, played the same set of numbers, based on family birthdays, on separate tickets purchased at different times. They discovered they were both winners Thursday night when they checked the tickets.
The husband and wife each won $25,000.
"It was kind of a shock because we didn't realize we both played the same ones," Lois Thomas said Friday. "We both found out at the same time."
The couple, who have three children and four grandchildren, quickly started calling family members to share the good news.
"I was excited for me. He was excited for himself, then we were excited for each other and we had everybody else getting excited along behind us," Lois Thomas said.
The Thomases, who are both retired, plan to use the money to pay off bills.
