Toronto’s Velma Hobson and her son, Michael, say they plan to help their family with the $6.4 million won in a recent Lotto 649 draw.
The pair say family played a big role in their jackpot win, as they found out about it while observing a tradition held by Velma’s late husband.
“My mom usually gets up early in the morning and checks all of our tickets,” Michael Hobson said in a news release. “She has been doing this since my father passed. It was his favourite thing to do in the mornings.”
That’s what Velma was doing after the Aug. 12 jackpot numbers were released, when she learned that she had indeed won the lottery.
Michael says his mother “hollered” upstairs to him about it, asking home to come down for a minute before adding: “No rush!”
Michael says he picked up the urgent tone in her voice and rushed down to see what the commotion was about.
“Is it for the right date?” he asked.
It was. The pair checked the numbers five times at home before heading to the store to confirm their win, because they didn’t want to cause a commotion until they were sure.
Now they’re looking to the future, and making plans for what to do with their $6,437,793 in winnings.
“Winning the lottery allows me to make life easier for my family,” Velma said. “Being able to help them out feels wonderful.”
Michael says he plans to buy a cottage, a boat and a new truck, while Velma is mulling renovations for her kitchen and bathroom, as well as a move to a new bungalow.
The winning ticket was purchased at a convenience store in Scarborough, at Sheppard Avenue and Kennedy Road.
