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Apr 29, 2010, 9:03 am (26 comments)
Reeling from the loss of his wife to cancer last month and the earlier death of his son in a construction accident, an Iowa man found a spot of brightness this week by cashing in a $1 million lottery ticket.
Fifty-eight-year-old Richard Koenigsfeld of Marble Rock, Iowa, bought a $20 lottery ticket April 18 to commemorate the birthday of Dian, his wife of 32 years, who died March 26. That's when his luck changed.
"I scratched it off and I couldn't believe what I was seeing," Koenigsfeld said on CBS' "Early Show" today. "I thought I had a winner." He said it may have been his wife looking out for him.
Koenigsfeld will walk away with $455,000 after taxes, and told the Omaha World-Herald that he plans to take some time off from work to process everything that has happened to him in recent months.
Koenigsfeld's son Gabe was killed in a construction accident in November, leaving behind a wife who later gave birth to a baby girl.
Thanks for LckyLary for the tip.
CBS
Good for him, he has an angel looking over his shoulder. So sorry for his loss even a million dollars can't take away the heartache and pain he must be feeling every day.
Maybe we all need to plant a flower in her memory...maybe we would win a million.
wow.... is all can say.
I felt my heart sink when he broke down mentioning the death of his son.
The money can't bring back his wife and son but, I hope that he can find peace, joy and comfort.
God Bless you Mr. Koenigsfeld!!!
Bittersweet is right. I'm not sure how I'd feel about that.
How did taxes take so much?
God bless you. You will never completely get over your lost love but you will learn to live with it and find joy in life again.
Because he's now considered "the wealthy". The government believes that rich people like him should not be "selfish", and should spread their wealth around a little.
Exactly.
And the real outrage is that we keep electing the people that keep doing this to us over and over and over.
So the answer to the question asking why they confiscate so much of our money is easy: Because we allow them to.
You don't plant corn and get cotton.
Sincerest heartfelt condolences to him for his immense loss.
At the same time congratulations to him for his win, hope he has many more!
God blessed him with a chain of luck. First, he won $300 from casino; then, he used that money to bought scratch tickets and won $1M. It's a bitter-sweet story - lost his wife and son then won lottery.
You can tell by the way he talks his daughter-in-law and grandson will be taken care of..Good for him at such a bad time in his life..It said 1mil then it said 655,000.00???..
Wow, bittersweet is the only word that truly describes his situation. I'm so happy that he won and now has a nice nestegg that will allow hime to take time off work and enjoy his new grandchild.
That does seem a little strange. The Feds take 25% on any winnings whether it's Power Ball or Mega Millions or a Scratch off. So he won $1 million that left him $750,000.00 after Uncle Sam took his share. Iowa's State Tax is 5% so that would have left him with $715,500.00 give or take. Thats quite a big chunk of change different than what they said he got after taxes. But I'm glad to see the money go to this man, it isn't going to bring his wife and son back, but his wife found a way to tell him she's OK and she is going to leave him OK too.
wow, half a mill just doesnt seem to cut it when u lose so much . :(i dont think $100 mill would cut it
what a bitter win. i wonder if I could drink my beer with so many tears in it.
CONGRATULATIONS KOENINGSFELD FAMILY ON YOUR IOWA LOTTERY SCRATCH WIN! Richard Koenigsfeld has a wonderful disposition.
Todd, in writing your article above the video post, you certainly were modest about your researching skills!!! You (and Richard, too) humbly didn't even correct TV interviewer Harry's poor research notes when he incorrectly called Richard's recently delivered grandchild a boy, AND said that Richard was married for 33 years ... you simply wrote the correct information in your above article.
Congrats to Mr. Koenigsfeld on his win, but I am sorry he has suffered so much.
I'm happy for his win,
But all the money in the world can't replace a loved one whom you have lost.
My sincerest condolences..!
i guess a wry smile , and the thought that his lost loved ones are watching his life now . might actually help hiim spend the money. in a n honourable way they would approve of if they where still alive.
He's 58 and will spend it wisely..He has a new grandbaby and will treat him like his son he just lost..He is blessed in a way with a new grandbaby..I hope him the best in such a bad time..
It wasn't that the taxes took so much, it was taking the lump sum. What he really won was $650,000.
Extremely sad. But at least he can afford to go see a grief consouler now. This dude needs a serious hug.
Could we allow this man to enjoy this win without complaining about what his tax burden will be-this is a hugh blessing to receive this money in a time of tremendous grief and loss and he certainly deserves winning it.
Maybe "we" could allow Mr. Koenigsfeld to more enjoy this win if "we" didn't allow politicians and bureaucrats to deal him such an outrageous tax drubbing.
So far, he's been subjected to just the "withholding" of 30% of his gross win. He needs to be aware of and plan for Federal Income Tax rates of up to 35% and probably 6% or so for Iowa on his adjusted gross income for the year. That's on top of the 30 to 40% or more of the ticket price that already goes to the State before anyone wins anything.
To add insult to injury, Mr. Mr. Koenigsfeld won't be able to "take care" of his grandchild without worrying about Gift Tax returns and little nasties like Generation Skipping Transfers.
I'm sorry, but I shall stop "complaining" about the tax burdens of each and every productive American when someone can convince me that taxation is not the moral equivalent of theft, and that our rapidly worsening tax situation is not beyond egregious.
Never heard it said like that..Theft!!..Great stuff and makes sense..
God has a way of looking out for us when we need Him the most.
I'm very happy for this man. He loss so much. He needed something!
The government didn't allow one second for him to enjoy his win before confiscating what they have deemed "their share."
And they're not through with him yet.