Twist of Fate: Widow Wins $10 Million
Updated 8:00 AM EST, Mon, Jan 5, 2009
A 78-year-old widow from Danbury has won more than $10 million and she has her late husband to thank.
He bought the Lotto ticket hours before he died of a heart attack.
Charlotte Peters and her husband of almost 60 years played the lottery for decades but he passed away suddenly on Nov. 1, so she hadn't bothered to check the tickets he'd bought that morning.
In fact, Peters said, when she noticed the tickets pinned up next to the calendar, she almost threw them away since the couple had never won more than a dollar or two but 'something' told her to check them out, she said. Now she's rich.
Peters cashed in her winning Classic Lotto ticket Friday morning at the CT Lottery Headquarters in Rocky Hill and said she still can't believe it.
She hasn't decided whether she'll take the lump sum payment of about $6 million or the annual payout of about half a million a year for more than 20 years.
When asked about what she'll do with the money, Peters said, "I've always wanted a Corvette!" But, in truth, she said, she'll probably buy a smaller, more practical car and put the rest in savings.
The winning ticket was purchased at a 7-Eleven in Danbury. The store will get a bonus of $10,000.
First Published: Jan 2, 2009 7:20 PM EST
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