‘Nobody’s going to top that birthday present’: lottery-winning grandma
REGINA The province’s newest lottery millionaire didn’t want anything but a kiss for her birthday. She got a big chunk of cash on top of that.
Regina’s Ethel Clarkson won $1 million through a Lotto Max ticket purchased for her birthday by her granddaughter.
“Jessica called me and asked me what she could buy me for my birthday,” Clarkson said. “I don’t like them to buy me stuff so I said ‘Just a kiss will be fine’ and she said ‘Oh, Grandma, that’s a given.’ ”
That’s when Clarkson uttered a few important words: “Oh, well, just buy me a lottery ticket then.”
The $6 ticket — purchased from Sherwood Co-op Grasslands — turned out to be a good one, winning on one of the 53 Maxmillions draws on Oct. 19.
“Nobody’s going to top that birthday present,” Clarkson told reporters Thursday as her granddaughter clutched her arm.
Clarkson was emotional when telling the story to reporters Thursday afternoon.
She couldn’t believe the result after checking the winning numbers from her bedroom.
When Clarkson realized she had all the winning numbers, she ran down the stairs to tell her son “I think I won the lottery.” Her son Ken double-checked the numbers and scanned it on his phone.
“I started jumping around, screaming,” she said. Hearing the commotion, her daughter-in-law joined in shortly after.
Clarkson occasionally buys lottery tickets and already has one for the next draw.
As for her winnings, she plans on investing, sharing the money with family and buying a new car. When pressed about what kind of vehicle, she said it wouldn’t be a Ferrari.