It started with a lottery sign in a store. Which led to a Facebook post about the sign. Which led to a central Iowa woman seeing the post. Which led to her finding a Mega Millions® ticket she’d bought months ago. Which led to her claiming a $20,000 prize this week with just days to go before it would have expired!
Mary Blumer of Ankeny was still a bit in disbelief about it all as she claimed her prize Wednesday at lottery headquarters in Clive. She says she saw a Facebook post the night before about an unclaimed prize won at an Ankeny convenience store.
The post showed a picture of a lottery sign in the Kum & Go with a circle around the $20,000 Mega Millions prize won there in March that still hadn’t been claimed. The sign showed that the prize was going to expire this coming Monday, Sept. 23.
Mary looked in her purse, and sure enough, she had that winning ticket!
She says she has a habit of putting her lottery tickets in her purse and forgetting about them. She remembers that she meant to check the ticket months ago the next time she stopped for gas, but time got away from her.
THE ONE WHO STARTED IT
Enter Anne Rodriguez, who also lives in Ankeny.
Anne says she saw the lottery sign in the Kum & Go at 165 SW Magazine Rd. in Ankeny, and it bugged her that someone was about to lose out on that prize. So she took a picture of the sign and posted it in the “People of Ankeny” group on Facebook. She says she just hoped something would come from it.
And something did!
Anne says she’s shocked that her post worked.
She says she could almost cry, knowing that Mary claimed the prize in time!
Mary says she owes Anne at least a tank of gas or something because without her, she never would have gotten her winnings!
Mary works at a local credit union and says she plans to retire soon. She’s going to use some of her prize money to start savings accounts for her grandchildren.
THAT’S a story with a great ending!
Comments