Upgraded lawnmower is on the way
By Kate Northrop
EPHRATA, Pa. — A great-great-grandmother has big plans for her yard after winning a $1.2 million Cash 5 jackpot in the Pennsylvania Lottery.
83-year-old Lillian Hess of Lancaster County has been playing Cash 5, the Lottery's longest-running game, for years. Her persistence has finally paid off to the tune of a $1.2 million jackpot from the Sat., Sept. 18 drawing.
"The funny thing is I usually check my numbers when the TV station has the drawing on, but I changed the channel, so I didn't see it," Hess said in a press release. "After I got my Sunday paper, I saw it. I started screaming for my son to come and double check!"
Sure enough, her ticket matched all five balls drawn, 11, 12, 15, 28, and 35, to win a grand total of $1,207,938.50.
Hess has eight children, 24 grandchildren, 30 great-grandchildren, and 11 great-great-grandchildren, and although winning the lottery came as a shock, she'll be happy to help out her family.
"It was a lot to take in," she admitted. "I'm going to pay my mortgage off and give some of it to my kids. I'm still working, at home, sewing."
Aside from paying off her mortgage and giving to family, Hess has one more thing topping her to-do list — buy a brand-new lawnmower.
"One of the things I'm going to do is buy a new mower! A riding mower!" the winner exclaimed. She says she still mows her grass at 83.
On Wednesday, Lottery officials presented a commemorative check to the winner of the $1.2 million Cash 5 jackpot at the store where the winning ticket was bought, Charlies Fuel & Deli on W. Main Street in Ephrata.
"We were excited to her that Lillian, a long-time customer of our store, won the big Cash 5 jackpot," store owner Charlie Rutt told the Lottery. "Being a Lottery retailer allows us to not only offer entertaining products, but also help the growing senior population in Pennsylvania. Many thanks to customers and employees for making this all possible."
For selling the jackpot-winning ticket, the store received a $10,000 bonus, and while both Hess and the retailer are celebrating the big win, the Lottery is also gearing up to commemorate a special event.
"Thanks to players like Lillian and retailer partners like Charlies Fuel & Deli, the Pennsylvania Lottery is able to do a great deal of good for older Pennsylvanians," Lottery Executive Director Drew Svitko said. "The Lottery is going to celebrate its 50th anniversary in March of next year, and over those 50 years we have generated more than $32.6 billion in benefits for senior programs."
In March, the Lottery's Cash 5 game relaunched as Cash 5 with Quick Cash, which offers a separate chance to instantly win $2 or $6 at odds of 1 in 4.71.
Congrats Lillian!
But with eight children, 24 grandchildren, 30 great-grandchildren and 11 great-great-grandchildren, you have to cut your own grass?
This is by far the best story of the year, Congrats to Lillian and her persistence .
Hmmm...
Finally the 'lottery benefits seniors holds true!'
Congrats to this winner.
It is totally irresponsible to publish her identity, the elderly lady will come under enormous pressure to "help" relatives, not to mention strangers. It is way past time to give all winners the right to anonymity.
One the best aspects of this story is the fact that she still receives a Sunday newspaper. Glad to see those are not completely extinct. Congrats to Lillian and best of luck with the new riding mower. Be careful with those sharp turns.
Every so often a good feeling story comes along, and this is one of them
Congrats Lillian!
Congratulations to her. It was a nice story but to have a mortgage @ 83??? I suspect, and hope I'm wrong and not being judgmental about this. Somehow feel some of her offspring may be bottom feeders. They will bite the hand that feeds them. After taxes and all that many people who will have their hands out it'll be gone quickly since after taxes it has already had a big chunk taken out. Hope she takes care of Numero Uno first.
No one bothers winners of only 1.2 million before taxes.
Good thing she's not in California.
Gavin Newsome and his fellow leftists have decided that everybody there has to switch to all electric mowers, leaf blowers and weed wackers by 2024.
I guess people out in that land of fruits and nuts just love being told what to do since they didn't remove this tyrant when they had the chance recently.
I caught that too. But...I'm 67 and I still have 9 years to go on mine. Wife and I refi'd to get a better rate 6 years ago, now she passed away and it's just me.
I'm sorry to hear about your loss, Buckeye.
May God hold you and keep you and bless you.
Amen. And please [pray for the Virginia governor election. It is soooo close. I need to win the lottery to retire early and move out of this lib looney bin.
Very sorry about your wife.
When I bought my first home many years ago, my realtor told me about an 80 year old woman that just bought her first home (small condo) and with a 30 year mortgage. The little old lady was thrilled.
I will do that, Artist.
And I mean that.
When ya get ready, check out Tennessee, Artist.
We still support the Constitution and freedom and law and order here.
And we have no State Income Tax.
Let the leftists who vote for massive government with its resultant high taxes and high prices and crime and drugs and filth and perversion and depravity have it all to themselves. Come out from among them.
I remember one day driving by a house here in town and seeing it being painted.
Well that's nothing but I knew the owner and she was painting it herself....and she was 100 years old and out painting her own house!
If I remember she made it to 108
Thank you rdgrnr. Hanging in there.
Thank you Artist77.
Amen rdgrnr....But there is those few areas--Davidson Cty and Memphis...Thank goodness I reside east of those 2 bastions of non-integrity
It's important not to wish your life away. One day it will be over. Congrats to her. Enjoy your new john deere.
You're right, I should have mentioned that but sometimes I guess I just assume that people know that the big cities are where the types that love big massive government and all the attendant ungodly corruption (in every sense of the word) gather to wallow in it.
Small towns are the place to be here or out in the backwoods in the hills and hollers and mountains like I am, firmly ensconced here in an undisclosed location known as "THE HALL OF THE MOUNTAIN KINGS" in East Tennessee.
rdmrnr so great to hear from you again. How have you been???
Rcbbuckeye. I didn't know your wife had passed. Very sorry to hear that.
My Condolences.
Thank you. She passed last November but I didnt say much about it. Still kinda hard.
Hey Bleudog,
Well. I'm happy as a fat rat in a cheese house for the most part but I can get as ornry as a blue-nosed mule in fly time on occasion. Especially when some senile old muckety-muck in DC disregards the Constitution and forgets who works for who and starts thinkin' that he can dictate what his bosses (us) have to do. That ain't none of his dadgum business and I don't roll like that. Never did. Never will.
Howbowchoo?
I'm doing fine. Though we are on polar opposites of the political mess...which it is, we are both adults and can agree to disagree! A bunch of us were worried about you.
Now if music* would just resurface all would be good in LP land from my perspective!
Roger that, my friend. Thanks for the kind words.
And you can find some good music in my recent blogs.
Nice talkin' to ya.