“I am sharing this lottery prize with my family. It is my duty to take care of my wife, children and grandchildren. They always come first.”
Drewniak has been playing the same randomly-chosen lottery numbers for the last two years. The day of the drawing he and his wife were watching TV, ready to write down the winning numbers, as they typically do. When Drewniak realized he won, he showed the numbers on his ticket to his wife. “When my wife saw I matched the first five numbers -07 – 14 – 21 – 24 – 41 – (26) – she froze. Then, she looked at me happily and said, ‘Now we can help our grandchildren with their college education!’”
Drewniak and his wife have been married for 47 years. They have two children and two grandchildren. When asked what advice he would give to other lottery players he said, “If you win, share with those you love.”
The winning ticket was purchased at Amoco Food Shop, 5610 West Diversey Avenue in Chicago. The retailer received a $10,000 bonus, equal to 1 percent of the prize amount, for selling the winning ticket.
Powerball drawings take place Wednesday and Saturday nights at 9:59 p.m. For more information, please visit www.illinoislottery.com.