It's a good thing Marlene Morrisette didn't listen to her husband.
The 57-year-old Pleasant Valley mother and grandmother has been playing the Win For Life New York State Lottery game for years. Her husband, Gordon, thought she might have a problem.
"I'm the husband who told her 'stop playing, you're addicted,' " Gordon Morrisette said Thursday.
"He would yell at me every once in a while," Marlene Morrisette agreed.
Gordon Morrisette won't be complaining about his wife's lottery habits anymore.
That's because Marlene Morrisette is a $1 million winner in the Win For Life instant lottery game. She will get her prize in quarterly payments of $13,000, less required tax withholdings.
The winning ticket was purchased Feb. 11 at Smokes 4 Less in Pleasant Valley's Grand Union plaza.
State lottery officials presented Morrisette with a symbolic check and celebratory cake Thursday at the Poughkeepsie Galleria.
Small wins led to big one
Marlene Morrisette said she had used a $2 prize on a Win For Life ticket to purchase another one. That ticket won her $5 and she decided to try her luck on a third.
Sitting in her car outside the store, Morrisette said she recognized right away she was a big winner.
"I couldn't stop screaming," Morrisette said. She called family members to tell them the great news and, at first, scared her husband.
"My husband called and thought I had been in an accident," Morrisette said with a laugh.
"All I heard was screaming on the other end," Gordon Morrisette said. "All I could hear in the background was Marlene screaming 'Life, Life, Life!"'
Morrisette said the big win is a welcome change.
"I've never been lucky in this stuff," Morrisette said. "Even in bingo."
Morrisette, who has been on disability for many years, said she plans to use her winnings to do some repairs around the house and to help out her family. Morrisette has five children and six grandchildren.
Jon Urban, the owner of Smokes 4 Less, said the win for his customer was great.
"It's exciting," Urban said. He said his stores have had other winners in the past, but that this one was special.
"This is kind of a little extraordinary," Urban said. "It changes people's lives right on the spot."
Morrisette said she plans to keep playing the lottery and encouraged others to do the same.
"Just keep buying lottery tickets," Morrisette said. "Because it does pay off."
No, it's "Lose for Life"!
WOW! Nice story. I am going to try that too!