Marie Dewitte of Chesterfield claims $1,000,000 from the 05/19/2012 Powerball drawing

Marie Dewitte does her grocery shopping every Saturday or Sunday. Before heading home, she has a clerk check the Lottery tickets that she purchased the week before. On May 19, she got one of the most pleasant surprises of her life. She discovered that her Powerball Easy Pick ticket had won her $1,000,000!

Laughing and crying, she called her daughter to share the news. But her daughter couldn’t understand her on the phone and thought something was wrong! Finally, Dewitte made herself understood and shared the news that she was now a millionaire! Her four children are thrilled and delighted for their mom. “It couldn’t happen to a better person,” her son-in-law said.

Dewitte doesn’t know yet what she will do with all the money, but she has one thing in mind. “Ever since the kids were little, I always wanted a pool for them. Since they still live close, I might put in a pool for my kids and grandkids.”

The winning ticket was sold at Kroger #724 located at 35000 23 Mile Rd. in New Baltimore.

Over 95 cents of every dollar spent on Lottery tickets is returned to the state in the form of contributions to the state School Aid Fund, prizes to players and commissions to retailers. In fiscal year 2011, the contribution to schools was over $727.3 million. Since its inception in 1972, the Lottery has contributed over $16 billion to education in Michigan.

For information on all Lottery games, please visit the Lottery’s Web site at www.michiganlottery.com.

“The Michigan Lottery. All across the state good things happen.”

Contact:  Andi Brancato, PR Director  517-335-5648
Agency:  Michigan Lottery Public Relations