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DENISON, Iowa (Iowa Media Wire) — What would be the first thing you do after winning $1 million? One man from Denison was left so shocked that he went home and cleaned.
“I went home and I was nervous, so I vacuumed,” Rothe said after claiming his prize.
Ron Rothe, 73, from Denison bought the $2 ticket from a local store. When he bought tickets for the coming week, the clerk checked his previous tickets and said that he won the million.
According to Iowa Lottery, when recalling the experience, Rothe said that the clerk came back with a manager. “She comes back with a manager, a big smile on her face, sticks her hand out and goes, ‘Congratulations!'” Rothe said. “I said, ‘For what?’ She goes, ‘You won a million dollars!'”
Rothe’s wife, Pat, initially thought he had won $1,000. Pat said that both her and her husband are still pinching themselves, “I’m still not sure it’s really sunk in, if you want to know the truth. It has taken some for us to get past the basic shock.”
According to Iowa Lottery, the couple said they plan to put the winnings towards home improvements, estate planning, charitable donations, and funding college savings accounts for their grandkids.
This wasn’t the first time Rothe had this excitement with the lottery. Earlier in September, his easy-pick tickets matched all five of the white balls but missed on the Powerball. Had he gotten the Powerball then, he would have won another $1 million on Sept. 13.