24-year-old single Michigan mom wins $66 million lottery

Aug 1, 2014, 11:58 am (66 comments)

Mega Millions

Friday the 13th was a mega lucky day for Kelsey Zachow.

But for 11 days, the 24-year-old Port Huron resident didn't know she had the winning $66-million Mega Millions lottery ticket — purchased June 13 at Sonny's Mart in Mt. Clemens — in her purse.

On June 24, the Mt. Clemens native and twice weekly lottery player checked her tickets at a gas station near her home. The clerk kept telling her, "You won big."

"I jumped in my car and locked the door. I couldn't breathe," Zachow said Thursday at a news conference at the Michigan Lottery regional office claim center in Sterling Heights. "I pulled in the driveway (at home) and got out screaming. My boyfriend thought I was in a car accident."

Instead, she's financially set for the rest of her life and doesn't have to work part-time as a medical assistant at a Macomb County hospital or as a part-time bartender at Little Lorraine's in Mt. Clemens.

Zachow is taking the money in a lump sum, which is nearly $27 million after taxes.

She plans to have the house of her dreams in the St. Clair County area, provide college money for the young children in her family, help relatives, take vacations (possibly Ireland, Europe and the Caribbean), go on a few shopping sprees and buy cars.

Next Monday, she said, she'll probably shop for an SUV. Then it's off to get an electric-blue Mustang GT convertible with dual exhaust and leather seats.

Zachow has a 7-month-old son, Benjamin Bartlett. Her boyfriend has a daughter, Evelyn Bartlett, 5. Zachow also has a brother, Gus Schmidlin, who is almost 2.

Sonny's Mart on Market Street, a lottery retailer since 2006, is to receive $50,000 for selling the winning ticket, lottery officials said. Zachow's prize is the largest won by a Michigan Lottery player on a Friday the 13th, they said.

Zachow said she has spent $5 every Tuesday and Friday for five years on the lottery.

On her way to work June 13, she bought five Mega Millions plays, four with her regular numbers and one easy pick. Her easy pick numbers of 07-38-46-49-56 and Gold Mega Ball of 01 matched the Mega Millions numbers drawn that night.

When she realized nearly two weeks later that she had won, the ticket went from her purse into a safe at a relative's house. She waited until Monday to turn in the winning ticket after talking with a lawyer and financial adviser.

Zachow said the most cash she had won prior to the June 13 prize was $50.

Now she can take care of her children and family, have a house with acreage and animals and possibly open a no-kill animal shelter.

Her boyfriend of three years, Billy Bartlett, 26, said she came barreling home "at 100 m.p.h." and screamed, "We won!"

After some checking, he said, "my jaw dropped to the floor."

Both Zachow and Bartlett, who has been laid off from construction work for about a year, said life hasn't changed since they realized Zachow won big.

Zachow said she may get the prize money this week.

"Then," she joked with reporters and family members, "people may start treating me differently."

News story photo(Click to display full-size in gallery)

Thanks to Win$500Quick for the tip.

Detroit Free Press

Comments

Kee12's avatarKee12

Congratulations, young lady. What an awesome win!

haymaker's avatarhaymaker

WTG.

4 of her regular lines and an easy pick...the easy pick is the winner !

dr65's avatardr65

Nice to see a quick pick win again.

WTG to her!

If I win and they ask me what I'll do with it, I'll say spend it. I won't get specific and mention how I'm going

to help everyone...I won't do that anyway. I think at any interview, the less you say, the better off you are.

It's a mistake to come off as giving and big hearted, there are too many vultures out there who aren't afraid

to ask for a buck.

Be careful winner, you have a long way to go.

Arrowhead's avatarArrowhead

Young and many years to enjoy her JP. That's terrific.

But don't go super-crazy on the spending. The younger you win, the more planning you'll need.

And, ASAP...take care of your son and little brother first thing with trusts that should last their lifetimes.

noise-gate

Quote: Originally posted by Arrowhead on Aug 1, 2014

Young and many years to enjoy her JP. That's terrific.

But don't go super-crazy on the spending. The younger you win, the more planning you'll need.

And, ASAP...take care of your son and little brother first thing with trusts that should last their lifetimes.

Party- Simply awesome Kelsey, enjoy your new found wealth and don't forget to investment Child,  think F U T U R  E !!!

ThatScaryChick's avatarThatScaryChick

Congrats to Kelsey on her big win!

Piaceri

Congrats on the big win!  Woo!!!!  Banana

maringoman's avatarmaringoman

She's been spendin $5 every Tuesday and Friday for the last 5 years.  Luck was involved, but you also have to agree that she's also worked extra hard to win this. Congratulations Kelsey

SammyJoe10's avatarSammyJoe10

Congrats!

mypiemaster's avatarmypiemaster

She sure has a long list of things to buy. I have a sneaky suspicion that she forgot to mention the most important one.....a new boyfriend. She is now, the most eligible 24yr old in her town.  Every creep with a sperm count will want a piece of that windfall. The boyfriend will now have to seriously man-up or chance fumbling her away. I hope somebody helps her keep those things in perspective. Congrats to her and her family.

Babes333's avatarBabes333

Great SET FOR LIFE WIN!!!  I also use the same stratedy a get my tickets twice a week and with my numbers and the quick picks ...

I call it God and Angel picks because they might know something I don't :)))

Have fun creating an amazing life...for her a yearly annunity would be a great choice it will protect her from naive/ Love/ Men/ Life mistakes until she comes into her OWN!

Win$500Quick's avatarWin$500Quick

Congrats to the lucky winner. Zachow said she has spent $5 every Tuesday and Friday for five years on the lottery. This why you have to be in it to win. She never got frustrated and quit playing, even though she never won more than $50. I remember the couple on TLCML who said she played for 8 years and never won more than $17 and she continued to play. They won $105 million on a quick pick.

pickone4me's avatarpickone4me

Face Palm!   "didn't know she had the winning $66-million Mega Millions lottery ticket", chalk up another way to win.  Why is there no face palm icon on here?

noise-gate

Quote: Originally posted by pickone4me on Aug 1, 2014

Face Palm!   "didn't know she had the winning $66-million Mega Millions lottery ticket", chalk up another way to win.  Why is there no face palm icon on here?

....because sooner or later folks are going to ask for ridiculous icons that would make no sense.No point in going down that slippery slope, yours does have some merit though....

I could see it being  used for a story here where this guy drove around for two months with winning tickets mingled with trash on the backseat of his vehicle

* I added trash because he said he had not cleaned his vehicle for two months....ergo- trash on backseat.Big Smile

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