Just days before Valentine’s Day, an Asheville man and his wife of 46 years got a sweet surprise - to the tune of $141.4 million. Frank Griffin of Asheville, a retired firefighter with over 20 years of service, won the Powerball jackpot after his ticket matched all five white balls and the Powerball in the Saturday, Feb. 6 drawing.
Griffin and his wife Loretta made the trip to lottery headquarters in Raleigh today to claim their prize. At a news conference, Griffin told reporters that he “felt fantastic” and that the prize money will allow him to “play more golf.” He also said he plans to spend more time with his family and possibly take a trip to Hawaii.
The Asheville retiree told reporters that after buying gas at the Wilco on Smokey Park Highway in Asheville, he had $5 left over and decided to purchase some lottery tickets. He let the computer pick his numbers. Griffin is the third Powerball jackpot winner from North Carolina since the game was introduced in May 2006. He elected to take the lump sum payment which is approximately $69 million (approximately $47 million after federal and state withholdings).
That's just awesome to see a retired firefighter win, he seems like a really nice guy, too!
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