Includes video report
Richard Loveless was going through his usual Sunday routine on Oct. 18 when he learned that a winning $42.5 million Lotto ticket was sold the day before at the Pit Stop convenience store — the same business where he purchases his Lotto tickets.
When the retired electrician from Port Byron checked the winning numbers — 1, 9, 11, 16, 19, 22 — he was stunned.
He won the lottery.
Loveless, 64, returned to Pit Stop Wednesday where the New York Lottery's Yolanda Vega revealed publicly that he won the $42.5 million jackpot on Oct. 17. He recalled the moment when he realized his ticket had the winning numbers.
"I scared the crap out of my wife," he said. "I ran into the bedroom and said, 'Sandy, Sandy.' She thought something was wrong with the dog. She said, 'What?' I said, 'I hit the lottery.'"
Loveless' wife was surprised. He had to repeat the life-changing news he just shared with his wife.
"She started screaming," he said.
On his Lotto ticket, Loveless used a mix of numbers that are important to him — mostly anniversaries and birthdays of family members. The winning numbers represented his parents' birth dates.
His dad was born on Nov. 16, 1919 — 11, 16, 19 — and his mother was born on January 9, 1922 — 1, 9, 22.
"Talk about divine intervention," Vega said.
Loveless isn't the only lottery winner in his circle of friends. Susan Garner, one of his childhood friends from Baldwinsville, won a $2.8 million Lotto jackpot with her brother in 1995. Another friend, Sharon Zuke Jackson, of Phoenix, Oswego County, split a $15 million Lotto jackpot with two of her siblings in 1997.
He also has a connection to another trio of lottery winners. He worked at New Process Gear in East Syracuse. Three employees at the plant won a $26 million Mega Millions drawing in 2010.
After his lottery win, Loveless opted for the lump sum payment. After taxes, he will receive more than $19.5 million.
With his winnings, Loveless said he will pay off his mortgage and his daughter's student loans. He also wants to finish work on his garage.
While he doesn't know what else he'll do with the money, he knows one thing: His wealth won't change who he is.
"I want to stay the way I am," he said. "I'm a blue-collar worker and I want to die that way."
VIDEO: Watch the news report
Congrats to the Winner!
Another Playing Birthday Numbers Success Story!
Never gave a thought to changing my collar...or my trade,
just for who, how and when I work.
Good thing this guy's already retired or he might want to keep his job.
Great news for Richard Loveless, with his huge windfall he can continue to be a blue collar worker
and even start his own Co. and help other blue collar workers.
See he is getting $19M after taxes! That's a big tax hit and he can do whatever his heart desires.
as a side note: See we had one winner in the NJ Cash 5 last night with a payout of $634,831.
You are no longer blue collar if you have 19 mill
Congrats to the winner! :)
Congratulations to Richard Loveless! There were some comments here on Lottery Post on Oct.17, about how the birthday numbers must produce a winner. I am surprised that he did not have to share with any other winning tickets.
"am surprised that he did not have to share with any other winning tickets."
You clearly aren't familiar with NY lotto. It's a 6/59 game, and you get to play 2 lines for $1. Since you've got to pick 6 numbers the chance of winning the jackpot if the winning combination is all birthday numbers is only 5 times better than the chance of winning the MM jackpot. That means that even though the winning combination was all birthday numbers it's not as much of an advantage as that would be for MM.
Then there's the dismal sales. The annuity jackpot only goes up by $0.5 million when it rolls over, and that's only after it gets up towards $20 million. When it starts out it only goes up by $300k. It took about a year for the jackpot to get that big. It's unlikely that they sold more than 2 million tickets for that drawing, so even with all birthday numbers there was probably no more than a 1 in 4 chance of a winner, and perhaps closer to 1 in 7 or 8.
Congratulations on the win! I hope he's kidding with the "I want to remain a blue collar worker for life." Travel the world or something.
He'll be a blue collar worker until somebody decides to kidnap him for money. The 99 percenters are out to get ya, Richard!
"Talk about divine intervention," Vega said,................................IT's really "LUCK"
Wow- a retired electrician who wants to remain" grounded"..Way to go Mr Loveless
Btw: to prove to your fellow citizens that your last name is Not you..." Make it Rain!"
Good for him on his win! And I don't see anything wrong with blue collar work... a lot of blue collars right out of trade school are making almost double than what a lot of entry-mid level white collar jobs are paying new graduates now a days.
If I won that much I wouldn't be worrying about the color of my collar, I'll be too busy enjoying life and spending my coins on things that matters to me!
That's a bargain, two lines for a dollar. I call him a green collar, not blue collar.
Congrats to the luck guy, enjoy!