Jackpot lottery ticket: dying man's final gift

Jun 1, 2005, 7:12 pm (52 comments)

Florida Lottery

A woman who bought a lottery ticket at the urging of her dying father won almost $1 million the day he passed away.

Yolanda Williams won the $979,440 prize after her father, Frank Reppa, sent her from his hospital room May 24 to go to a convenience store and buy a ticket. The two had always bought lottery tickets together.

"My father gave this to me," said Williams, 50, a retired custodian for the St. James City post office in Lee County on the Gulf Coast. 'It is a blessing and a gift."

Williams turned in a Mega Money ticket bearing the numbers 18-21-34-43 and the Megaball 20, to lottery officials Tuesday in Tallahassee. She took her winnings in a one-time lump sum, rather than $1.3 million spread over 20 years.

Williams said she took on the job of caring for her ailing father six years ago. Williams and Reppa, 79, played the Florida lottery almost every day — sometimes they would spend a dollar or sometimes $10 on the game, she said.

"I shop all over for tickets," Williams said. 'I'm a gambler and he's a gambler. If we had $100 in our pockets, we'd buy a hundred tickets, scratch-offs, lottery, whatever."

Williams and her husband, Sherman, a disabled commercial fisherman, have five children and five grandchildren.

Neighbor Tom Desantis, 37, said the family has struggled in the five years he has known them.

"They always had it hard," he said. 'You do what you can do to get by."

Now Williams and her husband are considering buying 140 acres in north Florida and paying off some of her father's bills with the winnings.

"This gave my father dignity at his funeral," Williams said. 'May my father rest in peace."

Bokeelia is located at the north end of Pine Island in the Gulf of Mexico, just west of Cape Coral.

AP

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visiondude's avatarvisiondude

  quick,  someone get ahold of pick4-master and tell him that God has nothing to do with the lottery Green laugh

20 youknowwho

jeffrey's avatarjeffrey

They aren't liable for her fathers bills. Keep the money for yourself. You need it.

Pick-4_Master

GOD/MAN created the beginning of Modern Day Lotteries when the "Casting Of Lots" was used in the Bible and since GOD/MAN are "ONE" I guess GOD has something to do with the Lottery "Our Will is his Will his Will is our Will" it's all the same he desires what we desire that we all get what we want.

Pick-4_Master

So your "RIGHT" "VisionDude" GOD does have something to do with the Lottery as long as it's what we want.

visiondude's avatarvisiondude

  dearest pick4,

  you and i  (despite our differences),  have a good "history"  together.  so when i saw this,  i couldn't resist.

so it was just for fun, not contention.

pretty cool story eh?

youknowwho / 20

Todd's avatarTodd



GOD/MAN created the beginning of Modern Day Lotteries when the "Casting Of Lots" was used in the Bible and since GOD/MAN are "ONE" I guess GOD has something to do with the Lottery "Our Will is his Will his Will is our Will" it's all the same he desires what we desire that we all get what we want.





Honestly, the "casting of lots" in the Bible has little or nothing to do with the lottery.  It was a distribution of land based on need and ability, and had nothing to do with chance.  People saying that the Bible mentions lotteries is a myth.

visiondude's avatarvisiondude






GOD/MAN created the beginning of Modern Day Lotteries when the "Casting Of Lots" was used in the Bible and since GOD/MAN are "ONE" I guess GOD has something to do with the Lottery "Our Will is his Will his Will is our Will" it's all the same he desires what we desire that we all get what we want.





Honestly, the "casting of lots" in the Bible has little or nothing to do with the lottery.  It was a distribution of land based on need and ability, and had nothing to do with chance.  People saying that the Bible mentions lotteries is a myth.



  true.  they are the scriptures that people use to justify gambling biblically.

  BTW;  did you end up getting one of those ministerial licenses from the legitimate  (sic)  "universal life church" ?

 with lottery post growing so fast, i am sure that one day you will be asked to marry a couple that met in here (lol).

youknowwho/youknowwho

Pick-4_Master

The Bible does not mention Lotteries or Gambling that is "CORRECT"  and "Casting Of Lots" had nothing to do with gambling back then because it did not exist.But the word Lottery is derived from the word "Lot" and later became the form of gambling that we have today with our modern day Lotteries.Gambling is not "Justified" or "Denied" Biblically,whether it's considered a SIN or not is really a matter of OPINION or INTERPRETATION of Scripture.Anyway GOOD Luck to all "Hows it going VisionDude" I know you like to gamble still playing your 1 "Quick-Pick"?

 

 

SirMetro's avatarSirMetro

Hummm....roughly, $26 Million for $979,440??? Somebody please tell me where I can get interest payments like that. Either somebody has a zero in the wrong place or that woman got cheated out of a lot of money (roughly $11 million needed to create a $26 million payout over 20 years). I am really surprised nobody seem to notice that.

Oh, and uh...in regards to Gambling, I think it did exist in the time the Bible was wrote. Unless the sunday school stories I remember is wrong, doesn't the bible talk about how Jesus cast out the gamblers and money dealers from the house of worship (or something to that extent).

Sir Metro

Pick-4_Master

Really? I did not know that well I guess maybe WE stand CORRECTED?

visiondude's avatarvisiondude

The Bible does not mention Lotteries or Gambling that is "CORRECT"  and "Casting Of Lots" had nothing to do with gambling back then because it did not exist.But the word Lottery is derived from the word "Lot" and later became the form of gambling that we have today with our modern day Lotteries.Gambling is not "Justified" or "Denied" Biblically,whether it's considered a SIN or not is really a matter of OPINION or INTERPRETATION of Scripture.Anyway GOOD Luck to all "Hows it going VisionDude" I know you like to gamble still playing your 1 "Quick-Pick"?

 

 

pick4,

 i am doing good, thanks.

 i am still playing my $1 quick pick on the jackpot games,  but that is only because i am eventually "meant to". 

i don't gamble on any other level.  no pick3,  no scratch off's,  not even a super bowl pool.  gambling doesn't do anything for me interest wise, so the only reason i even bother with my (1)  QP, is because i know that i am "meant to"...

as a christian,  i don't have any thing against gambling as such.  but i don't promote it either as it is a matter of conscience.  i personally think it's ok if ones conscience is cool about it, and someone doesn't throw alot of money at it trying to win something they are most likely not meant to.

  and of course it wouldn't be a wise thing if someone hangs thier hope/future on it (even if  one knows they are "meant to").  that is the one unfortunate thing i see at LP alot.  is that people think that the lottery is the answer to thier life and when they see that someone else has won instead of them, they become really depressed.  how sad...

 flying "v"

visiondude's avatarvisiondude

Hummm....roughly, $26 Million for $979,440??? Somebody please tell me where I can get interest payments like that. Either somebody has a zero in the wrong place or that woman got cheated out of a lot of money (roughly $11 million needed to create a $26 million payout over 20 years). I am really surprised nobody seem to notice that.

Oh, and uh...in regards to Gambling, I think it did exist in the time the Bible was wrote. Unless the sunday school stories I remember is wrong, doesn't the bible talk about how Jesus cast out the gamblers and money dealers from the house of worship (or something to that extent).

Sir Metro

 that particular story wasn't about gambling,  it was about greed and deception while using God for personal gain.

the money changers were selling temple sacrifices (turtle doves) and were taking advantage of the people monetarily.

Jesus became enraged at the thought that someone would take advantage of someone using something that he commissoned for the purpose of being obedient to him, for personal gain.

i am absolutely sure that God is still incensed when he sees all these goobers on TV these days telling people that they will "prosper" after they "tithe" to them.  as if the blessings of God are either attached to money, or can be "purchased".  the only people "prospering" ...are those televangelists.  sickening.  because people are desperate and because they maybe ignorant of how God works,  they get taken advantage of by these people who "use God"  .....for personal gain.

it is so prevalent that people are actually getting into the "ministry" because they know it's easy tax-free pickings.  people that have no interest in God, teach themselves the "vernacular" so that they can sell themselves. they use people, then out of business they go when they "smell" that someone is on to them.  i saw one guy in calif do this multiple times.  he is now a wanted man.

i used to live in the ATL and it is really prevalent there.  when you get a chance sir metro, watch anyone and see how long it takes for them to mention money.  ....they always do (puke)

 20/20  (peoplewithvisioncantellthesheepfromthegoats)

Pick-4_Master

I agree with you there VISIONDUDE when GAMBLING  becomes an obsession and they start spending unwisely then it's a problem but it doesn't make that person a sinner (like some people think)(not referring to you though) just irresponsible

SirMetro's avatarSirMetro

Vision...thanks...I knew somebody would take the time to correct me Jester

But in regards to my original comment...I am still amazed nobody is noticing the huge difference in $$$ listed between annuity and lump sum. Or am I the only one who finds this ruther incredible?

Sir Metro

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