RALEIGH, N.C. – A North Carolina man won’t be rolling his eyes at his wife for wanting a lottery ticket anymore.
As Darrin Nunnery, of Linden, headed to the store Monday night, his wife called out, “Get me a Lucky For Life ticket,” according to a North Carolina Education Lottery news release.
Nunnery rolled his eyes as usual when his wife wants to play the lottery, but he came home with a $2 ticket for that night’s drawing.
Nunnery got a call from his wife Tuesday morning and she said, “Do you feel lucky?” He asked what she meant and she informed him they’d won the Lucky for Life prize of $25,000 a year.
As the family claimed their prize Tuesday, Nunnery told his wife, “The rolling my eyes is over.”
Nunnery said while the good luck is a blessing, it pales to the blessing he’s had over the last four years as he recovered from a brain aneurysm. The former maintenance contractor at Fort Bragg remains disabled, but he says doctors tell him he’s fortunate to be alive.
“I get to see my grandchildren, my wife, more and my kids more,” he said, according to the NCEL.
Nunnery said some things needed to be done with his home and for his family so he took the lump sum of $390,000. After federal and state tax withholdings, he took home $274,954. He says he plans to pay off the mortgage, do some home improvement projects and take care of bills.
He also said he plans to give some money to loved ones and to his church.