I’ll use £102k to visit son who never got to say goodbye to dad
Gran wins bumper radio prize just weeks after husband dies of Covid
A GRAN who won £102,000 on a radio show just weeks after Covid-19 killed her husband says she will use the cash to visit her son – who could not say goodbye to his dad.
Mary Carr, from Dumbarton, broke down in tears when Clyde 1’s Garry Spence called to give her the chance of winning the huge sum.
It came after the 57-year-old’s hubby Steph, 58, had tragically passed away from Covid-19 on October 13.
Struggling to keep it together with her son-in-law Joe by her side, Mary successfully scooped the cash and had listeners hanging on her every word.
DJ Garry, who is also a Sunday Mail columnist, hosts the daily Cash Register segment – where fans of the show are given the chance of winning lifechanging cash prizes.
Now the dust has settled, an “overwhelmed” Mary has told how the win will “ease the financial burden” on her and allow her to reunite with son Matthew, who lives in Australia.
The admin assistant told the Record: “Like thousands of other families, we have been left devastated by the recent loss of someone very dear to us.
“Winning the Cash Register will never bring Steph back. It will, however, ease some of the financial burdens from such a sudden loss and let me visit with my son and his family.”
Both Steph and Mary contracted the deadly bug in early October. While Mary’s condition improved, Steph was rushed to intensive care at the Royal Alexandra Hospital in Paisley.
Tight restrictions prevented Mary from being with her life partner in his final moments. Only their 31-year-old daughter, Louise, an admin assistant, could enter the ward.
The couple’s 34-year-old son Matthew, a construction worker, was stuck in Australia, unable to travel to see his dad in his final moments.
Mary, who shared grandchildren, Ellie, 16, Lucy, 10, and Chloe, eight, with Steph, added that the family have found comfort in the outpouring of support since his passing.
She added: “We have been truly devastated by the sudden loss.
“However we have been comforted by the many personal accounts of time spent with Steph and just how special he was to hundreds of people.
“He would have been truly humbled to hear how far and wide his influence has stretched.”
Listeners were left in floods of tears after the call on Monday night as a tearful Mary struggled to come to terms with the life-changing win.
Repeatedly asking Garry if the call was real, she told how the last few months had been “very trying” before telling the host: “I can’t tell you what this means.” A clip of the exchange shared by the radio show on Twitter has been liked by almost 9000 users and shared over 1400 times. Mary added: “As a family we would also like to thank all those who have messaged and commented on our story, your comments are heartwarming indeed.”