Generous couple gives store clerk college money
Rhonda Meath waits tables for a living. Her husband, Joe, is a retired turbine operator who still does some snowplowing at a nearby gas station. They live on a quiet 10 acres in northern Anoka County.
None of that is likely to change, the Bethel couple say, now that they're $11.71 million richer, thanks to a winning lottery ticket Joe bought at that gas station.
As the Meaths drove to Minnesota Lottery headquarters in Rosevilleon Monday morning to claim their Hot Lotto jackpot, Rhonda was thinking about her job at the Lake Elmo Inn.
"I have a fabulous job, and I like to work. I actually have to work tonight," she said as she and Joe chatted with family members, friends and reporters.
As it turns out, she was able to get her shift covered and enjoy the day with her family, including lunch out. The waitress got a $100 tip.
The Meaths, married 32 years, are Minnesota natives with four grown children, three grandchildren, three dogs and a penchant for small-town life.
"I don't think it's going to change our life that much," Joe said.
"We really hope it doesn't change the people around us," Rhonda added.
The couple struck it rich Saturday night when their Hot Lotto numbers were drawn. As a bonus, the lottery picks up the taxes on this game's big payout. Otherwise, the Meaths would have been on the hook for state and federal taxes totaling 32.25 percent.
The Meaths are the second Anoka County family to hit it big on the lottery recently. Paul White of Ham Lake won a $148 million Powerball jackpot last year.
Joe Meath, 53, who retired from Xcel Energy about three years ago after a back injury, plays the lottery every day.
He bought the ticket Saturday at Corner Express in East Bethel, the service station that he plows in the winter.
Players choose five numbers from 1 to 47 and one Hot Lotto number from 1 to 19. Saturday night's numbers were 1-2-3-25-30 with a Hot Ball of 19.
When Joe Meath realized he had won big around 10:30 Saturday night, he woke up Rhonda and stashed the winning ticket in his gun safe.
They called relatives and friends. It was nearly life as usual for the rest of the weekend. Rhonda Meath still attended a dog show on Sunday.
Joe Meath said the prospect of becoming instant millionaires has been "overwhelming," conceding that he had a hard time sleeping.
"It took a while for it to sink in," he added.
"We're just ordinary people," said Rhonda Meath, 51.
She grew up in White Bear Lake and he in Red Wing. They moved to Bethel 17 years ago when White Bear Lake started to feel a bit too citified.
Joe Meath likes to hunt pheasants and ducks. He may go elk hunting this year.
Rhonda Meath raises and shows German shepherds. Her dog Smith is nationally ranked in agility competitions. She also started and oversees the network of therapy dog owners who volunteer at the Anoka County Corrections juvenile division.
Asked what they'll do with the money, the Meaths are thinking modestly so far.
"We are going to set money aside for each of our kids," Rhonda Meath said.
They'll probably buy a new vehicle — another dog-friendly Chevy Suburban. Joe Meath said he's been thinking about getting an RV.
Rhonda Meath, who volunteers with the St. Paul Police K-9 Federation, will donate a German shepherd to be named Ronny, after her father.
Asked whether they'll buy a big new house, the couple said they had been talking about downsizing.
Corner Express, at Viking Boulevard and Coon Lake Drive, will receive a bonus from the lottery as seller of the jackpot ticket. That is a tidy $10,000, but the store will be liable for the taxes.
The Meaths met Monday with the 18-year-old clerk who sold Joe the winning ticket and gave her $15,000 for college.
The total is the biggest Hot Lotto jackpot hit in Minnesota, which has sold tickets for this game since 2002. Fourteen states and the District of Columbia also participate in Hot Lotto. With Saturday's game producing a winner, the pot now rolls back to $1 million for Wednesday's drawing.
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Is it just me seeing it this way or are more winners lately claiming their jackpots within a week of winning? There was time when we'd even have forgot about a JP by the time it got claimed.
Congratulation Mr and Mrs Meath
Congrats guys enjoy ur cash
Wow, that was quick but I could see myself doing the same thing.
Congrats to them!
Not all have been claiming their jackpots that soon Mr M- some folks have forgotten their tickets in their trucks & cars for months, recently we had a guy " finding his on his backseat" after months of driving around unaware of his winnings.
This guy retired due to a back injury, perhaps his medical bills are stacking up- whatever the reason.. l say congrats to both of them.
Despite what they think, their life will change. I would like to hear the 6mth story to see if she's still a waitress. They may live in the same area but will do different things, people change. Congrats.
Can you imagine if the ticket on his back seat would've blown out the window somehow. We'd then be reading about another unclaimed ticket due to expire.
Congratulations to the Meath's on their BIG win!
Congrats to the lucky couple, enjoy
PERSISTENT payed off the guy said he plays every day. Congrats to the winners.
Congratulation to Mr./Mrs. Meath
class act on giving the cashier $15,000 for college.
Oh yeah, the Long Island guy with a second home in Vermont.
A nice couple who also was active in the community. But she looks more like his daughter than his wife.lol
Expensive habit, finally moved from the reds into the black results lottery ticket! Finally able to deduct the majority "loser tickets" from remaining Federal Income Taxes he pays come April!
Great story, congratulations!!
The story mentioned that the lottery in this particular case picks up both the federal and state tax. I realize the 32.5% is just the initial fed/state withholding but I think the Minnesota lottery will pay the balance due on April, 2015 as well.
I wish this were the case with all lottery games here in the states.
I had the same thought until I clicked on the picture.
Looks like his daughter? I think not Artist77- she carries her age well but she does have laughlines and lines on her neck. Looks pretty good nonetheless.
Oh the Horror...
Big congratulations to the Meath's. Hope they get some guard dogs in addition to the 3 dogs they have already.Also hope they have some "other protection" out there in Minnesota heart-land.
Congratulations Mr & Mrs Joe & Rhonda Meath Spend Wisely
gun safe.
Funny how he went from joy one second to paranoia the next by stashing it in his gun safe.
Looks like money has already changed him yet he didn't notice it. Anyways, the old saying is true. You got to play to win.
Or, Goteki54, he had read on one of the lottery websites the suggestion to place the winning ticket in a safe. It makes instent sense (no negative thinking involved) that he put his ticket in the safe available to him.
Nothing paranoid about keeping the ticket in a safe until time to go collect the winnings. However, I wouldn't have told anybody about the safe. Criminals read newspapers and websites too - so now some undoubtedly know:
I wouldn't have given out as much personal info as this couple did, but to each his own.
I'm sure that everybody who wins the lottery doesn't have a safe to put their winning ticket in, just saying. I have read stories about winners who were nervous wrecks about holding on to their jackpot tickets until they were able to come forward. That is why my comment was what it was.
From that perspective, that does make sense to secure the ticket. Here in Maryland a winner can claim their jackpot anonymously. So if it was me, I wouldn't' think to much about someone breaking into my house to steal my ticket, but if I lived in a state where I had to go public, then securing the ticket would be priority number one.
Strangely enough, I have a small safe that I have owned for a couple of decades. I don't put much in it, but it is there in case I would need it.
But congratulations to the lucky couple.
For whatever reason, some people will wait weeks to cash a winning lottery ticket or scratcher. Burglaries/robberies happen, if you own a safe it makes sense to secure it. That's what safes are for - securing valuables, and I personally consider an $11.7M lottery ticket to be valuable!
I'm not so sure that the state will pay more taxes above and beyond that 32.5 percent. On the Minnesota Lottery's website it says that they pay the initial withholding and any withholding beyond that is the winner's responsibility. I was recently in MN and played Hot Lotto and I calculated out I would need an additional 16% to pay the rest of the tax liability for an 11 million dollar jackpot. Not that I would have complained at all!
In the "good old days" before multi state games most states had their own lotto 6/47 type game. In many states the state did not collect state income tax on lottery wins. That was a nice perk!
For me the decision on when to claim would be based on two things..1) do I feel I need legal advice (do I need or could I hide behind a trust) and 2) what the lottery requires as far as publicity. If I won in a state that guarantees anonymity I would probably turn the ticket in right away. If it is a state where a "natural person" needs to claim (no trusts or LLC) I would probably wait and get my ducks in a row. I have read that winners are often overwhelmed with people seeking handouts and I probably would have a safe house to bolt to as soon as it became public knowledge.
What bothers me is that the Meath family doesn't actually have the money yet. It takes about two weeks according to the MN lottery. I would try to negotiate something with the lottery that they wouldn't release my name until I had the money in my bank account and could use it to help defray any security issues or to just get out of town.
You know it
. Good luck if you're playing tonite.
Its always a good idea to secure your ticket. And not just from burglaries/robberies you can also have fire and flood!
Good points!
You would probably be reading about some guy raking leaves and finding the ticket.
I don't think they were wise to publicly give out all the personal information they did. If I hit a big JP, I wouldn't do any interviews whatsoever, nor allow any photos. Many lotteries don't guarantee anonymity, but I wouldn't give them any additional info beyond what's required to claim the money.
I totally agree! very valid points.