Robyn Butler, a 19-year-old Palmdale woman, had the magic touch last week when she randomly selected six numbers that won her family an $84 million lotto jackpot.
Butler just happened to be with her father, Vincent Butler, last Friday when he bought what turned out to be the winning ticket at a 7-Eleven in Palmdale. The digits she chose matched all five SuperLotto Plus numbers and the Meganumber drawn Saturday night - 2, 41, 17, 33, 43 and Meganumber 5.
"I just went with my intuition," she said Monday, surrounded by her parents and brothers Brian, 18, and Vincent Jr., 16, at the California Lottery District Office in Van Nuys, where they were presented with the hefty check. The Butlers said they chose to cash out half of the jackpot rather than taking the full $84 million over the next 26 years.
While Robyn plans to continue working at a Target store, her mom, Nancy, has already contacted the Vons supermarket where she works in the deli department to say she was quitting.
Nancy held back tears as she described how she learned the family held the winning numbers. When her husband showed her the ticket, she said she thought it was a fake.
"My sister Dorothy in Ontario called me on Sunday and told me a Palmdale family had won," she said. "My sister said, 'I hope it's you. You guys deserve it."'
The Butlers were still in disbelief Monday, but vowed to stay grounded, saying the money would help them worry less about finances.
They want to finish paying for their home in Palmdale, start education funds for their younger children, buy a new Dodge for Nancy, and maybe take that trip to Hawaii they have always wanted.
While Nancy is looking forward to some time off, her husband, who does roadside maintenance for the California Department of Transportation, planned to keep his job.
"I'm taking a week off," he said. "I like working there. I like the people I work with."
Anup Singh, owner of the 7-Eleven where the winning ticket was bought, said Sunday that ticket sales had been relatively slow Saturday despite the $84 million jackpot.
But since the winners were announced, lotto tickets were flying.
"We're happy that (the family) is happy," Singh said. "There is a lot of excitement here."
Singh said he also hoped the family will adjust well to the winnings.
"Money is not that important in life. It comes, it has a purpose, and it is used," Singh said. "I hope they put the money in a trust for their children and I hope they remember that they need to work hard, and learn the value of money."
The store had a millionaire before: In 1994, a ticket sold there brought $7 million, Singh said. Four or five years ago somebody won $50,000.
The store that sells the winning ticket gets one-half of 1 percent of the jackpot, or $420,000 for this ticket.
The record SuperLotto Plus jackpot is $141 million, won by a San Jose man in 2001. The largest lotto jackpot in California was $193 million in 2002, split among three tickets.
Before Saturday's drawing, the Antelope Valley's biggest lottery winners had been Joelle Fesler and her husband, Thomas, who in 2002 split an $82 million SuperLotto Plus jackpot with a second ticket bought in Long Beach. Fesler had bought her winning ticket at Mike's Beverage Shop in Quartz Hill, less than a mile from their mobile home park.
In 1998, hospital workers Denise and George Leano of Lancaster won $20 million.
"It's still very scary," Nancy said. "We sat around last night and even this morning, still in awe."
While Robyn plans to continue working at a Target store,
her husband, who does roadside maintenance for the California Department of Transportation, planned to keep his job.
"I'm taking a week off," he said. "I like working there. I like the people I work with."
Just a word to the wise, where you may continue to enjoy where you work, people change, and I don't mean the winners, I mean the people around them......Congratulations and the best of luck, enjoy!
A father/daughter outting turns into big bucks for the whole family. Nice story. Congratulations to the Butler family. I wish them....good money management.
Lucky ducks! I guess when it is your time to win nothing is going to stop you from winning.
1/24/2006
Congratjulations.....it's great to see people who need money, win money......
But, I don't understand why the daughter, who actually bought the winning ticket, plans to continue working at the "Target Store"......it's not as if she were the Store Manager.....
Just once it would be nice to see that the winner plans to get a Degree in Marketing/Investments, learning how to manipulate the Market.....something substantive... learning to parlay her millions into multi-multi-millions................
That is interesting. Didn't even need a quick pick. Just put the slip infront of your daughter and tell her to fill in 5 spots where the first five are and then one from the second group and presto....88 million dollars. Can you imaging picking those numbers just from looking at the bet slip. I bet many people now are going to ask her to do that. She could open up a lottery hotline or store. haha. I doubt she will need the money any time soon though. Congrats to the family!
Life will remain the same. RIGHT! And fly's are controllable! Check back when reality sets in. Like the next time their manager gives them a hard time for being late to work!
I subscribe to the fathers attitude, if ya love your job, get the benefits of health and retirement funds, why not keep the job :) He shouldnt have to quit because sometimes its NOT the money that keeps the person employed.
I do agree that with such a win, its inevitable that change will transpire. And not all for the good unfortunately. May they enjoy that hawaian vacation and new found wealth.
My nephew has an astouding sense of good luck and sixth sense when it comes to lottery drawings. He is only eight years old, and I take him with me sometimes to pick numbers. He thinks its silly to shout out the numbers in the store, but any time I've won off of his numbers I give his parents a portion to put in his college fund! I wouldnt be surprised if later in life he wins a grandprize!
"We're happy that (the family) is happy," Singh said. "There is a lot of excitement here." 
good for them.i love it when someone wins the huge jackpot using their own numbers.....
dude they could live in my dream house if they wanted to !!! soo lucky good job!
http://westla.idx.prucalonline.com/details.aspx?firstrecord=34&=&VIP=Yahoo!+IDX&cc=realestate&fclose=n&newhome=n&za=and&fullnodeid=750007014&searchgeo=Los+Angeles%2c+CA&searchtype=2&propertytype=1&sort=5&sortacdc=desc
While Robyn plans to continue working at a Target store,
her husband, who does roadside maintenance for the California Department of Transportation, planned to keep his job.
"I'm taking a week off," he said. "I like working there. I like the people I work with."
Just a word to the wise, where you may continue to enjoy where you work, people change, and I don't mean the winners, I mean the people around them......Congratulations and the best of luck, enjoy!
A father/daughter outting turns into big bucks for the whole family. Nice story. Congratulations to the Butler family. I wish them....good money management.
litebets
great story
the best of luck to them
Lucky ducks! I guess when it is your time to win nothing is going to stop you from winning.
Lucky ducks! I guess when it is your time to win nothing is going to stop you from winning.
1/24/2006
Congratjulations.....it's great to see people who need money, win money......
But, I don't understand why the daughter, who actually bought the winning ticket, plans to continue working at the "Target Store"......it's not as if she were the Store Manager.....
Just once it would be nice to see that the winner plans to get a Degree in Marketing/Investments, learning how to manipulate the Market.....something substantive... learning to parlay her millions into multi-multi-millions................
That is interesting. Didn't even need a quick pick. Just put the slip infront of your daughter and tell her to fill in 5 spots where the first five are and then one from the second group and presto....88 million dollars. Can you imaging picking those numbers just from looking at the bet slip. I bet many people now are going to ask her to do that. She could open up a lottery hotline or store. haha. I doubt she will need the money any time soon though. Congrats to the family!
Brad
""I just went with my intuition,"" ....... love it!!! Maybe someone in the LP Mystical Forum will be that lucky soon!!
Congrats to them!! WTG!!!
Best of all, she chose CASH, when annuity is so attractive to young winners.
Life will remain the same. RIGHT! And fly's are controllable! Check back when reality sets in. Like the next time their manager gives them a hard time for being late to work!
I subscribe to the fathers attitude, if ya love your job, get the benefits of health and retirement funds, why not keep the job :) He shouldnt have to quit because sometimes its NOT the money that keeps the person employed.
I do agree that with such a win, its inevitable that change will transpire. And not all for the good unfortunately. May they enjoy that hawaian vacation and new found wealth.
My nephew has an astouding sense of good luck and sixth sense when it comes to lottery drawings. He is only eight years old, and I take him with me sometimes to pick numbers. He thinks its silly to shout out the numbers in the store, but any time I've won off of his numbers I give his parents a portion to put in his college fund! I wouldnt be surprised if later in life he wins a grandprize!
" While Robyn plans to continue working at a Target store "
Please ...........