ASHLAND, Ohio (AP) — A group of Ashland school employees who formed a lottery pool have won more than $1 million in the Aug. 6 Powerball drawing, according to the Ohio Lottery.
The group, made up of 10 coworkers at Crestview Elementary School, continued to include a late member, Mary Jo, in its lottery pool after her death from cancer six years ago. The group paid for her share of the tickets in her memory.
“She taught kindergarten here for years … she was in the original group, so we couldn’t leave her out,” said Karen, the pool organizer, in an interview with the Ohio Lottery. “We’ve been paying all that time and for her, too, so that makes it even sweeter.”
The winning ticket was purchased at a Circle K in Seville using the auto-pick option. Karen said she discovered the win while scanning the ticket at her dining room table.
“I was talking to my daughter on the phone, and I was like, ‘I think we won a million dollars!’” Karen said. “I started texting everyone, and they were like, ‘No way, no way,’ and so they checked the numbers themselves, and they were like, ‘We did win!’”
The group selected the cash option. After mandatory state and federal taxes, each winner — including Mary Jo’s children — will receive $72,000.
“She’s been our guardian angel,” Karen said of Mary Jo.
The school employees said they plan to use their winnings for things like buying a new car, paying bills and taking vacations. They also plan to continue their lottery pool.
“It brings you together, the camaraderie,” Karen said. “It’s been really a fun time, so we’re going to keep playing, because why not?”
The next Powerball drawing is Wednesday, with the jackpot estimated at $1.3 billion and a cash value of $589 million. No ticket matched all the numbers in Monday’s drawing. Players in Montana and North Carolina won $2 million each, while tickets purchased in California, Florida, Massachusetts, Minnesota, New Jersey, New York, Pennsylvania and Virginia each won $1 million.
