Lottery player wins life-changing prize in Iowa. Now, it’s ‘instant retirement’ time
An Iowa man said his life will change after he won a huge lottery prize.
Shelby Willis, 64, was born in Iowa but lived most of his life on the East Coast, according to a news release from the Iowa Lottery. He moved back to Iowa 12 years ago to care for his ill father.
But after winning a huge lottery prize, he says he plans to move closer to his family.
“This is important. This is going to change things for myself, my children and my grandchildren,” he told lottery officials. “So I’ve got to do it right.”
Willis played the multi-state Lucky for Life game in Des Moines and won $1,000 a day for life.
“I’ve got some things I want to clean up here first so I’ll have a totally clean slate when I get back to Jersey,” he said. “And then I’ll pick up life from there.”
Willis called the Iowa Lottery’s winning numbers hotline Nov. 9 to check the results of his ticket. Then, he went back to the store where he bought the ticket to have it scanned.
“The clerk, she was kind enough to scan the ticket for me,” he said. “And then it looked like her face fell off. She was like, ‘Oh my gosh, you won! You won the lottery.’”
Willis quit his job the same day, the release said.
“It’s instant retirement, if you want to call it that,” he said.
Willis chose the lump-sum amount of $5.75 million, which he said was a better option for “his stage in life.”
He said he put the winning ticket in his mother’s Bible to keep it safe, and he’s taking his family’s advice and has an appointment with a financial planner.
“I can relax a little bit now. I don’t have to be so concerned with finances,” he said. “And I’ll be able to afford a few little trinkets here and there for myself and my grandkids, maybe go on a cruise or something. I’ve never done that before, I’d like to do that.”
He does have one purchase he plans to make when he moves back to New Jersey.
“Get some Yankee tickets when I get back, I’m definitely going to do that,” he said. “I’ve been a fan since the 1970s.”
This story was originally published November 13, 2024 at 4:24 PM with the headline "Lottery player wins life-changing prize in Iowa. Now, it’s ‘instant retirement’ time."
