Couple finds winning lottery ticket, tracks down rightful owner

Oct 10, 2016, 9:21 pm (18 comments)

Pennsylvania Lottery

SAINT CLAIR, Pa. — Doing the right thing can pay off in more ways that you can imagine. One man in Schuylkill County, Pennsylvania, says he is living proof of that.

That man and his wife found a winning lottery ticket in Saint Clair and returned it to its rightful owner. Then, in a way, the man hit the jackpot.

After the couple found the winning ticket in April, they went through a long process to track the rightful owner down and return it.

But since returning it, they have been quite the lucky couple. The husband got a long-awaited lung transplant and the state lottery commission just called them with some exciting news.

The Schuylkill County couple found a $500 winning lottery ticket outside the Saint Clair borough building.

"There was just a ticket laying there on the sidewalk, and I just decided to pick it up because he loves the lottery," said Rosaline Cappel.

Rosaline Cappel brought the ticket home and showed her husband Mel, who realized it was a winner.

You would think for a man who has been playing the lottery for decades and has never won, it would be tempting to cash the ticket it for himself.

But instead, the couple decided to track down the owner. Mel stopped into almost a dozen store and gas stations.

"I went to three here in town and a couple in Frackville," he explained.

He eventually realized the ticket came from the Saint Clair Emporium when the owner just happened to mention a man winning the Pick Three and losing his ticket.

"I said, 'was the number 108?' He said, 'yes, it was.' I said, 'you might want to give me his name because I think I found his ticket.'"

"I just didn't expect somebody to come and tell me he found the ticket. I was happy for the guy," said John Zurdy, Saint Clair Emporium.

"I hit the lottery exactly three months from the day my wife found the ticket. July Fourth. I got a call at 2 o'clock in the morning, and I got a lung transplant," Mel went on to say.

Not only did Mel Cappel have a long-awaited lung transplant after returning the winning lottery ticket.

His transplant surgery went well and his story made it back to people with the Pennsylvania Lottery who want Mel and Rosaline to be witnesses for one of their drawings this month.

"I was happy, actually. He always wanted to do that," said Rosaline.

The owner of the winning lottery ticket gave the couple $100, from the $500 he won.

And the couple will be witnesses for the lottery drawing on October 25 and 26.

WNEP

Comments

psykomo's avatarpsykomo

    BOTH men were WINNER'$$$$$$$$$$$$$$>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>PartyGreen laugh Lep

      Mel earned his 20% TIP

grwurston's avatargrwurston

Now that is an honest man.  Thumbs Up

music*'s avatarmusic*

 Rosaline and Mel Cappel deserve the recognition and thanks. 

 The temptation to do the wrong thing and not track down the correct store must have been immense.

helpmewin's avatarhelpmewin

Nice story Blue Angel

LiveInGreenBay's avatarLiveInGreenBay

How many people would do that?  That guy Mel is one in a million.  What would hot sauce do?

kennedygrandma's avatarkennedygrandma

Such a beautiful story

Redd55

Odd. I would think that a man in need of a lung transplant wouldnt have the energy to play Sherlock and schlepp from store to store.

Unluckyone's avatarUnluckyone

That is a rare and decent thing to do. Not too many folks like them left in this world anymore.

LottoAce's avatarLottoAce

Quote: Originally posted by psykomo on Oct 10, 2016

    BOTH men were WINNER'$$$$$$$$$$$$$$>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>PartyGreen laugh Lep

      Mel earned his 20% TIP

I know thats right!!!

Groppo's avatarGroppo

Quote: Originally posted by LiveInGreenBay on Oct 11, 2016

How many people would do that?  That guy Mel is one in a million.  What would hot sauce do?

.

LiveInGreenBay,


I think "hot sauce" would take this position, (if it was him who found the ticket) :

 

"Shoo'. I found me a $500 dolla ticket!  Aa-mmo git me some crack."

 

Then, again, what if I found the ticket? 
I must say, I wouldn't try too hard to find out whom the ticket belonged to.

Mainly because the town I live in has deteriorated in the past 50 or so years.

My county went from a normal one, to one I can't stand anymore (mainly because of the citizens in this town).
If I had to continue living in this area, I would choose PA, but I hate snow and rain, just like the entire east coast experiences.

This explains my deepest desire to win the lotto and relocate to a nice town in California.

In Pennsylvania, you can't really go wrong. Just like every town, everywhere, you have your good and bad citizens.   But mostly, I would say PA has good people. So, it's not hard to imagine why this couple went the extra mile to locate the owner.

Just my 2¢ worth.

LiveInGreenBay's avatarLiveInGreenBay

I'm curious Groppo... Where do you live now.  And I hope you win and move somewhere nicer.

Prob988

My guess would be that racists would have bad karma, and being fools, were they to win the lottery, would end up in Jack Whitaker hell, but that's just me.

Groppo's avatarGroppo

Quote: Originally posted by LiveInGreenBay on Oct 11, 2016

I'm curious Groppo... Where do you live now.  And I hope you win and move somewhere nicer.

.

LiveInGreenBay,

Currently, I live on the East Coast, in the Mid-Atlantic area, with a relative.

I'm sorry. I choose not to be more precise.
I've been to Green Bay, though, when I used to drive the big truck. My only gripe about Wisconsin is the cold (in the winter-time).   But here, it includes the weather, AND inconsiderate people (mostly liars and other corrupt persons).  Not to mention what goes on in traffic, around here.   It's horrible.

( I had a small incident, with a brother 'know what I'm sayin' ?", in traffic today. I was on my recently purchased
bike. He was in his Accura.  And, he wanted to race me.  T.m.a.l.s.s. I smoked him, with very little throttle effort. Then, I blocked him behind me, as long as I could.  But he started the whole thing anyway.  Don't those people know about power:weight ratios?)

So, my advice to anyone decent, is:
Forget the East Coast, if you want to live somewhere.
Look at hurricane Matthew victims.Look also at what happens to certain E.C. areas, in winter blizzards.
You could be immobilized for days on end.

Anyway, I appreciate the well-wishing on the unlikely lotto win, with relocation to change my environment.

I just need a couple million bucks, minus the tax, and I'm gone, to a westbound place.
An entire jackpot of say, 15 million or more, would get me all the way out to Cali., comfortably.


Groppo

TheMeatman2005's avatarTheMeatman2005

Quote: Originally posted by LiveInGreenBay on Oct 11, 2016

How many people would do that?  That guy Mel is one in a million.  What would hot sauce do?

Nice story and congrats to both.

He's not one in a million, but rather $100 out of $500 LOL

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