Woman who lost home in tornado wins millions in Iowa lottery. ‘I fell into my chair’

Years after her home was destroyed in a tornado, an Iowa woman will furnish her new house with some major upgrades thanks to a jackpot Powerball win.

Tammy Gordy, of Ottumwa, was the recent winner of a $2 million Powerball prize, the Iowa Lottery said. She purchased her ticket at a Hy-Vee grocery store before the drawing Saturday, June 24.

It comes after her home in Agency was destroyed by a tornado in April 2001. Two people were killed and three were injured when the F2 tornado tore through the town, according to the National Weather Service.

Building her new home had gotten “put on hold for a few years,” Gordy said, but the $2 million prize will speed things up.

“And it’s going to go into better details!” the 56-year-old said. “I’m talking a walk-in closet and a Jacuzzi tub! That’s what I’m talking about!”

Gordy, a dietary aide at a hospital, scanned several of her lottery tickets Sunday using the Iowa Lottery’s mobile app. What she saw left her “flabbergasted,” lottery officials said.

“I fell into my chair,” Gordy said. “I couldn’t see! There were all those zeroes! I was like, ‘Maybe I need my glasses.’ So yeah, we screamed.”

The winning numbers were 2-38-44-50-62. She added the Power Play option to her ticket, and when she matched that number, her prize multiplied to $2 million.

The jackpot ticket was the only Powerball ticket Gordy purchased ahead of Saturday’s drawing.

“I called my boss and told him that I needed to take Monday and Tuesday off because I won $2 million on the Powerball,” she said. “And so he says, ‘Well, congratulations, if you’re not April Foolin’ me!’”

Gordy’s adult children also had trouble fathoming her new fortune.

“I am a jokester, but not to that extent,” she said.

Ottumwa is about 85 miles southeast of Des Moines.

This story was originally published June 27, 2023 at 4:04 PM with the headline "Woman who lost home in tornado wins millions in Iowa lottery. ‘I fell into my chair’."