A Kalamazoo man is planning to pay it forward after winning $25,000 a year for life playing Lucky For Life.

Michael Ozier, 59, matched the five white balls drawn Oct. 4 – 01-10-15-28-34 – to win the big prize. He bought his winning ticket at the Speedway gas station, located at 2375 Sprinkle Road in Kalamazoo. Ozier is the 23rd Michigan player to win a lifetime prize in the Lucky For Life game.

“I’m working at a job site in Indiana, so I’m back and forth between there and Kalamazoo a lot,” said Ozier. “I was on my way back to the job site and stopped for gas and bought a Lucky For Life ticket for two draws.

“I checked it after the first drawing and it wasn’t a winner. When I checked it the morning after the second draw, I thought I won $200 and I was pretty excited. I decided to double check it when I got to work and that is when I realized I’d won $25,000 a year for life!”

Ozier visted Lottery headquarters recently to claim his prize. He chose to receive his winnings as a one-time lump sum payment of $390,000 rather than annual payments for $25,000 for 20 years or life, whichever is greater.

With his winnings, the player plans to pay for his daughter’s college education, buy turkeys for Thanksgiving baskets that are given to families in need by his church, and then save the remainder for his retirement.

For just $2 per play, Lucky For Life gives Lottery players a chance to win prizes ranging from $3 to a lifetime of cash. To win the game’s top prize of $1,000 a day for life, players must match all five winning numbers ranging from 1 to 48, plus one Lucky Ball ranging from 1 to 18. Players who match all five winning numbers, but not the Lucky Ball, will win $25,000 a year for life. Lucky For Life drawings take place every Monday and Thursday at 10:35 p.m. Tickets may be purchased at Lottery retailers across the state.