Dad scores ‘once-in-a-lifetime’ NC lottery win. Now, he has big plans to help his son

A North Carolina dad scored a “once-in-a-lifetime” lottery win — but his wife didn’t believe him at first.

“She thought I was joking,” winner Jerry Cooper told the N.C. Education Lottery.

But Cooper assured his wife that his $1 million prize was the real deal, and now he plans to help cover his son’s wedding expenses, officials wrote May 23 in a news release.

Cooper, who considers himself a lucky person, had his latest good fortune when he stopped at Waves Mart & Grill in Newport, a town near the coast in Carteret County. While at the convenience store roughly 145 miles southeast of Raleigh, he chose to play the 50X The Cash scratch-off game, officials said.

It turns out, the ticket he bought for $10 was worth much more.

“I was in total disbelief,” Cooper told the N.C. Education Lottery. “It’s one of those once-in-a-lifetime things.”

When he rushed to tell his wife the news, she also was skeptical about the jackpot prize.

“I told her, ‘You’re not going to believe this. I think we just won a million bucks,’” Cooper said in the release.

Cooper, who works as a retail assistant manager and lives in Newport, decided to claim his prize as a lump sum of $600,000. He kept $427,503 after taxes, according to the release.

“It’s been kind of surreal for us,” Cooper told lottery officials. “It’s just a blessing all the way around.”

In addition to helping his son, Cooper said he hopes to celebrate the big win by taking his family on a trip to the mountains. He also wants to save money for retirement.

If he decides to retire in Carteret County, he may be in luck. That’s because the area recently ranked as the state’s best place for older adults to settle down, McClatchy News reported.

Simone Jasper

The News & Observer

919-836-5768

Simone Jasper is a service journalism reporter at The News & Observer in Raleigh, North Carolina.