FRANKLIN CO., VA (WSET) — There is some serious luck brewing in Franklin County.
Whistle Stop had their second lottery winner over the weekend. While they didn’t win the jackpot, they did win a cool $1 million.
Joe and Jerry Mears are from Eden North Carolina and were visiting their home at Smith Mountain Lake last weekend.
Jerry says he decided to buy a ticket at Whistle Stop on Friday because he was feeling lucky.
He let the computer generate the numbers, and little did he know he was walking away with a winning ticket.
The Mears’ ticket had five matching numbers, with the only thing missing being the Mega Millions Multiplier.
On Wednesday they claimed their $1 million prize.
“I thought gosh I’ve hit 5 but what does it pay? I thought gosh I’d be tickled to death if I got $10,000,” Jerry said. “And then I looked over and saw 1 million and I couldn’t believe it!”
The Mears say they’re considering this an anniversary gift since they’ll be celebrating 47 years of marriage next month.
Whistle Stop’s owners also got a cash bonus of $10,000.
The Mears’ say they don’t know exactly how they’ll spend the $1 million but they have three kids and seven grand kids so they say they’ll likely be able to find a few ways to spend it.
