WINNING VIBES FOR POWERBALL WINNER TED BAUMGARTNER

While driving to the furniture store where worked for the past three years as a furniture repair specialist, Mr Baumgartner was listening to the radio. It was reported that a $50 million Powerball grand prize ticket had been sold in Freeport just a few days earlier, on Saturday. “I had a strong hunch then and there that I was the winner,” said the lucky winner. “I mean, anything’s possible.”

About an hour into his shift at Ingrassia Interior Elements in Rockford, Mr Baumgartner decided to check his Quick Pick lottery ticket against the Powerball results and discovered he was, indeed, an historic instant multi-millionaire. Being the sole winner of the largest Powerball prize ever awarded in Illinois propelled him to this extraordinary status. His bosses found out that he was a Powerball winner before his family as he immediately went to them to break the incredible news and showed them the winning ticket. “I worked for another hour or so, tying up some loose ends, and then I said, ‘that’s it, I’m done.’ I may end up forfeiting a portion of my last paycheque,” Baumgartner said generously “but that’s OK.”
Kevin Carlson won a $71.5 million Powerball prize in December 2013 and also chose to retire immediately.

POWERBALL WINNER TED BAUMGARTNER’S FAMILY WOULDN’T BELIEVE HIM

Thereafter texts and phone calls to family members telling them about his lucky Powerball numbers were met with, given the date, perhaps not surprising resistance. It took 2 texts and a phone call to persuade his daughter he was telling the truth! Similar calls to other family members followed the same pattern until eventually they had all seen the winning Powerball lottery Quick Pick ticket for themselves.

It’s not uncommon for people to find lottery wins hard to believe. Mary and Brian Lohse won $202.1 million in September 2012 and Brian was convinced his wife was playing a joke on him when she tried to tell him the good news.

POWERBALL WINNER TED BAUMGARTNER’S PLANS

The Powerball winners future plans for his newly acquired wealth are low key to say the least. Sensibly he has met with a financial advisor, and has decided to invest most of his prize money in safe investments that yield dependable annual returns. His most extravagant purchase for himself will be a new house that includes a few acres of hunting land. “I’m going to create my own, miniature Duck Dynasty,” he said, a reference to the popular cable TV show.

Other purchases thanks to his lucky Powerball numbers may include a new car – possibly a Dodge Challenger – and, at some point, a small fishing boat could also be on the cards. Mr Baumgartner also intends to buy the house he currently rents and gift it to his 68-year-old mother, Lauretta, who is retired and currently lives in a Freeport apartment.

EVERYONE WINS

Lottery Superintendent Michael Jones urged all lottery winners – past and future – to read the advice published on its website: “The Lottery has a special section on its website providing advice to major prize winners seeking effective counsel and planning for large prizes. He went on to say “I hope the Baumgartners will invite me to take a spin in their restored 1952 Chevy pickup…my grandfather had a similar pickup that he would use to drive the grandchildren to his country store.”

Surrounded by his family, Mr Baumgartner was presented with an oversized, commemorative check at the Shell Express Lane store in Freeport (1736 S. West Ave) where the winning Powerball Quick Pick ticket was purchased. For selling the ticket, the store will be paid a $500,000 selling bonus incentive, the largest bonus any Lottery retailer can receive for selling a single ticket.

The Powerball jackpot reward will be delivered in a one-time payment of $31 million. After taxes that will amount to around $22 million. Not bad for (an April Fools’) days earnings!
If you want to check your own numbers to see if you have bagged a prize, then you can do so by using our Powerball results checker.