A visit to the neighbourhood pub Wednesday, means Mark and Rosslynn Denton will soon no longer be Langley residents.
Renovations wrap up this weekend on their Walnut Grove townhouse, and after winning half a million dollars on Wednesday91Ƶs Lotto 6/49, Mark insists the for sale sign will go up on their Langley home next week.
91ƵAs soon as it91Ƶs done this weekend, it goes up for sale,91Ƶ he said, noting they91Ƶre moving to northern end of Vancouver Island, where thanks to their unexpected windfall, they91Ƶre going to buy a home.
While Mark, 54, buys lottery tickets pretty regularly, when he learned the lottery grand prize was up to $25 million for Wednesday, he decided to up his chances by purchasing another ticket with the extra.
He typically plays the same numbers, and always goes for the extra. This time was no exception. It paid off big when he matched all four of the extra numbers.
He bought the ticket on Wednesday from the self-serve lottery terminal at the Walnut Grove Pub, just 20 minutes ahead of the cutoff for that night91Ƶs draw.
He learned of his win on Thursday morning.
91ƵI got up, got my coffee, and was sitting on the couch with the wife, watching the news, and I went online to see the winners. I saw some butthead in Langley won half a million, so, I figured I better check my tickets91Ƶ I , and guess what honey, I91Ƶm that butthead.91Ƶ
Rosslynn, his wife of 30-plus years, didn91Ƶt believe him immediately, and had to scan the ticket herself before realizing Mark was telling the truth.
91ƵShe said, 91Ƶoh, wow, what are we going to do now?91Ƶ,91Ƶ Mark recounted. He simply insisted they go and get the money first.
91ƵIt still hasn91Ƶt really sunk in yet,91Ƶ he told the Langley Advance Times Friday, when he arrived in Richmond to pick up the cheque.
Beyond buying a house with their winnings, Mark, a truck driver by trade, said he will likely buy himself a new vehicle (his wife just bought a new vehicle last year). As for retirement, he91Ƶs not to sure if that91Ƶs in the cards.
91ƵI got the weekend to think about it. We91Ƶre going away to Whistler this weekend, so we91Ƶre going to discuss things,91Ƶ Mark said, noting Friday that he was still in shock and the reality was still sinking in.
But, the couple is definitely on the same page as to what the majority of the money will go toward 91Ƶ that being a house on the island.
91ƵI trucked the island years ago and I fell in love with it,91Ƶ Mark said. 91ƵWe vacation there every year, and we have friends over there.91Ƶ
ALSO READ:
This windfall easily dwarfs his last big lottery winning. He won $3,000 on a 50/50 ticket at the same pub a few years ago.
They haven91Ƶt told all the family yet, which including their daughter and eight-year-old son. Mark said they91Ƶre hoping to spring the news on them this weekend during a pre-arranged birthday trip to Whistler.
_________________________________
Is there more to this story?
roxanne.hooper@langleyadvancetimes.com
Like us on or follow us on
_________________________________