DES MOINES, Iowa — A Bondurant, Iowa, couple claimed a $202.1 million Powerball jackpot on Thursday, becoming the second-biggest lottery winners in Iowa history.
Mary and Brian Lohse said they had done their homework in advance by meeting with financial planners and had some very specific plans for the future as they claimed their big prize.
Mary Lohse, 42, a certified medical assistant at the pediatric clinic at Mercy Hospital in Des Moines, said that the way the couple explained their win to their three children best encapsulates their plans as they move forward.
"We are still the same people that we were a week ago," she said she explained to her children. "And when your dad and I got married, we had dreams for things we wanted to do for our kids and, you know, have a boat and that kind of stuff. And we're going to do all that now, but we're still the same people that we were yesterday."
Brian Lohse, 43, an attorney at EMC Insurance in Des Moines, said the couple has formed the KJH Family, LLC, to claim the prize and handle the money moving ahead.
"We have a plan to help our church and our community and the school," he said. "We're going to set up different structures to do that, financial structures to be able to do that. And of course our kids and ourselves — we want to make sure the kids are taken care of, so that we don't necessarily have to work 40 hours a week the rest of our lives."
The Lohses chose to receive the prize as the lump-sum option of $129.8 million. The after-tax prize will be $90.9 million after $32.4 million in federal taxes and $6.5 million in state taxes were withheld from the lump-sum prize.
Brian Lohse, who had been out of town at the time, laughed as he remembered his initial reaction when his wife called him on Sept. 27 to share the news that they had won big.
"I just figured she was playing a joke," he said. "And she was carrying it quite far, but that's not necessarily unusual. She put her boss on and she tried to convince me as well, and I just figured I was being punked."
Mary Lohse said she bought just two Powerball plays on Sept. 26, the date of the drawing in which they won the jackpot.
"I was just filling up with gas on my way to work, and I usually do that once a week and that's when I usually buy a couple tickets," she said.
The next morning, she heard on the news that there was a Powerball jackpot winner in Iowa, and noticed that her ticket seemed to have at least some of the winning numbers. She then checked for sure once she had arrived at work.
"I was shaking so bad, I figured I should not be there giving children shots and stuff, so I lied and said that I had a sick child — which I have since apologized to them for — and left, and called him," she said as she smiled at Brian.
The couple said they plan to stay in the Bondurant community with their three children.
The winning numbers in the Sept. 26 Powerball drawing were: 13-26-39-41-42 and Powerball 10.
Next jackpot in NY!
Ohhh I just grab a couple of tickets when I get gas at the station. I don't wheel numbers, I don't eliminate based on the last 50 draws, no deep meditation, no psychics on retainer....She didn't even have the decency to play the family birthdays
On a serious note, congratulations to the lucky couple. Wishing you and yours all the best!
I hate to be the bearer of bad NYews, but DE won last night. After this IA win, I had predicted I'LL A WIDE would be next winners, so we can scratch the "DE" off and look to IL, LA, and WI for the next winners. I am going to boost my premonition odds by playing both in WI and IL!
That couple sounds just like me, but I can assure LP world that my press conference will indeed be newsworthy. Now I just have to win for you all to find out why people will be talking about that for weeks to come!
Good luck and congratulations! I wonder how long they are going to be able to stay in that community though.
should be curious ....
It's a good thing I live in an anonymous state... I don't want to be exposed like that. I'll set up a new company and keep my mouth shut! I don't need some high priced attorney or some crooked financial planner telling me what to do. I have small circle of people I deal with and will continue to do so once I win.
Instant winners
Out
Wandering
Around
Congrats on win the lottery. Good luck with the money hope it does not become a burden. If it does just let me know and I will help out. Just joking!-weshar75
....was thinking the same thing.
Congrats to the winners! Sounds like they did the smart things that they needed to do. I hope and pray their family stays safe. Too many loons out there with the greed of envy.
Sorry, but leave me out of the chearing section for this guy,
he is/was a lawyer for an insurance co.
ya know ? thats the one that figures out why the ins. co does'nt have to pay your claim.
Someones gotta work for the insurance companies.
He did mention they wanted to give back to the community and their church, can't be all bad?
Maybe you're right, but I have never had a good expierince w/ ins. co. or a lawyer.
May I win big in order to need one that changes my attitude.
For that matter, most people hate all attorneys.....until they need a good one for their defense.
This is a true statement.
you might also say "until they need a good one to collect the big win" LOL
In fact I wonder if he hired another lawyer for the purpose of making the lottery claim.
I'm happy someone won it, Congratulations and best wishes.
Why didn't they change their name before signing the ticket and claiming the prize? They should have changed their name to a very common name and had their lawyer do the press conference. If they would have kept their mouth shut about the name change and had a couple months of patience, it would have saved them a lifetime of headaches.
Because lottery winners shouldn't have to turn their lives upside down in order to collect a jackpot.
Well said
So you wouldn't take a couple months and proper precautions before claiming a prize? The government set the rules, why wouldn't you take the time to protect yourself, even if it took a little work. 5 hrs of total work. 10 minutes to fill out name change application, 1 hour in court, 1 hour to update drivers license, 1 hour to update social security information. Couple hours of travel time. most states don't allow you to claim anonymously.
I still didn't win....again!
She released a few 40lb words - lol!
The new $202M Powerball winners: Mary and Brian Lohse.
If anyone other than me was curious as to what they look like:
I wish it was me...
Congrats to the lucky couple, may you enjoy.
Great ages to win...early-mid forties. Many years to enjoy their bounty. Bully for them.
"Today is their Day"
That confetti looks like U.S. currency, wish I had been there, would have loved to "clean up" after the ceremonies.
Congrats to the winners ............... but Pennsylvania still needs to have our first jackpot win on the Mega Millions!
Buy your tickets in NY. Then you can celebrate as a PA jackpot winner!
Like in Real Estate, it's all about location! location! location!
Anyone knows if it was a QP or Self Pick?
Ain't that the truth. People talk all that crap until they need one.
"The first thing we do, let's kill all the lawyers."
- Henry VI, Shakespeare.
Congratulations to the couple....