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 Wednesdayѻýs Lotto 6/49, Mark insists the for sale sign will go up on their Langley home next week.
ѻýAs soon as itѻýs done this weekend, it goes up for sale,ѻý he said, noting theyѻýre moving to northern end of Vancouver Island, where thanks to their unexpected windfall, theyѻýre 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 nightѻýs draw.
He learned of his win on Thursday morning.
ѻýI 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 ticketsѻý I , and guess what honey, Iѻým that butthead.ѻý
Rosslynn, his wife of 30-plus years, didnѻýt believe him immediately, and had to scan the ticket herself before realizing Mark was telling the truth.
ѻýShe said, ѻýoh, wow, what are we going to do now?ѻý,ѻý Mark recounted. He simply insisted they go and get the money first.
ѻýIt still hasnѻýt really sunk in yet,ѻý 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, heѻýs not to sure if thatѻýs in the cards.
ѻýI got the weekend to think about it. Weѻýre going away to Whistler this weekend, so weѻýre going to discuss things,ѻý 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 ѻý that being a house on the island.
ѻýI trucked the island years ago and I fell in love with it,ѻý Mark said. ѻýWe vacation there every year, and we have friends over there.ѻý
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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 havenѻýt told all the family yet, which including their daughter and eight-year-old son. Mark said theyѻýre hoping to spring the news on them this weekend during a pre-arranged birthday trip to Whistler.
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roxanne.hooper@langleyadvancetimes.com
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