Maranda Coffey visited Lottery headquarters on Friday, Aug. 1 to collect her big Cash for Life prize.

Being a bit forgetful can pay off at times. That’s what a Turner woman learned when a return trip to the store led to her winning a top prize in the Michigan Lottery’s Cash for Life game.

Maranda Coffey won her big prize on a $1 Cash for Life ticket. She visited Lottery headquarters today to collect her prize and chose to take a one-time lump sum payment of $442,842, before taxes. With her big prize, Maranda plans to purchase a house and then invest the remaining cash.

Maranda’s father, Anthony, sent her back to the store for hamburger buns after she forgot them on her first trip. It was on her return trip to Dore’s Party Store, located at 3013 South M-65 in Whittemore, that she made her lucky purchase.

“I went back to the store with my Mom to get the buns for our cookout and decided I would buy a Cash for Life ticket,” said Maranda. “I let Mom pay for the buns, and I spent the last dollar in my pocket on the Lottery ticket.”

Maranda began scratching the ticket on her way home. When she found she had won $400 a week for life, she couldn’t believe what she was seeing.

“I told my mom to go back to Dore’s because I had a huge winner, but she didn’t believe me,” said Maranda. “I convinced her to turn around, and while she pumped gas I went inside and confirmed I had a big winner. Everyone in the store went crazy!”

When the pair arrived home, her father couldn’t believe what they were telling him. After he saw the ticket for himself, he quickly made sure it went into the family’s safe.

“It’s been very exciting since she won,” he said. “Maranda doesn’t get out of bed before 10 a.m., but the day after she scratched the ticket, she was up and ready to call the Lottery office at 7:45 a.m.”

“I have been so nervous since winning, I have barely slept at all,” Maranda said. “I had to ask my dad to call the Lottery office for me because I could barely speak.”

Ironically, Maranda works at Dore’s Party Store and when word got out that an employee of the store had won the top prize on a Cash for Life ticket, Lottery ticket sales soared.

“Customers would come into the store and ask which employee won the big prize and when they found out it was me they would ask me to touch their tickets for good luck,” Maranda said.

Turner is northeast of Standish.