CONNEAUT —
Timothy Blood of Conneaut envisions no wild spending spree with the $250,000 he won this week playing the Ohio Lottery’s Mega Millions game.
Instead of yachts, furs and luxury cars, Blood and his family will pay bills and assist family, friends and some favorite charities.
“We’ll try to do some things on a personal note,” said Blood, 45. “We’ll try to help some people and organizations out.”
Blood, a truck driver, bought the winning ticket Monday night at the Village Food Mart in North Kingsville.
“I always get my gas at (the store),” he said. “I had $20 on me. I bought $18 in gas and a $2 ticket.”
Blood didn’t know he cashed in big time until Wednesday morning. At a Conneaut convenience store, Blood asked a clerk to check the ticket’s numbers and learned it was worth a quarter million dollars. Blood’s reaction?
“Oh, my God,” he said.
Blood said he called his employer to report he would be a little late, then went to where his wife works to tell her the good news. Blood then traveled to Youngstown to validate the ticket with Ohio Lottery officials.
“(Wednesday) was kind of a blur,” he said.
The ticket became his constant companion.
“I was afraid to leave it at home,” Blood said.
Blood plans to confer with tax and legal experts on the windfall but anticipates no big changes to the family lifestyle.
“We’ll both keep working,” he said. “It’s business as usual. (The winnings) will take care of some debt. We won’t be stressing about money like we do now. We should come out of this debt-free.”
Blood said he has been a casual lottery player for years but, until this week, never collected more than a few dollars.
“I never won anything more than $12,” he said. “I never had any luck with gambling. We truly feel we are blessed.”
Local News
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Timothy and Cheryl Blood of Conneaut were the lucky winners of $250,000 in a Mega Millions drawing Tuesday night. Bill West
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Lottery winner plans no big changes with windfall
Conneaut man holds lucky Mega Millions ticket worth $250,000
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