CANAAN, Maine — The story goes that when James Lovell picked up his wife from work last week he asked her if she wanted to kiss a millionaire.
Lovell's wife, a school social worker obliged when he found out he'd won $2 million in Powerball. Then she told him they couldn't kiss any more in the schoolyard.
The 59-year-old unemployed truck driver from Clinton, Maine, believes that his exposure from winning $2 million could be his ticket to a new job, according to the Maine State Lottery, which also made the kissing story public. His wife said in a press release last week that she intends to continue working.
Lovell has already ordered a new truck with a plow and started trusts for his granddaughters, according to Lottery officials. He hasn't talked to the press since the Feb. 24 drawing.
Tom Ward, owner of the Canaan Superette, said he got a call on Feb. 25 from a lottery official who asked if he'd heard the big news.
"We had sold a $30,000 scratch ticket about a week before," Ward said, so he assumed that's what the call was about.
Instead, he learned that he had sold the $2 million Powerball ticket.
Lovell, a regular at the Canaan Superette, stopped by the next day to check his tickets against the winning numbers from the previous weekend's drawing, Ward said.
The first five numbers matched: 2-5-31-39-41. That meant $1 million.
And Lovell had paid the extra dollar for the Power Play option, doubling his winnings.
The clerk, Traci Knowlton, double-checked the numbers and delivered the news.
"He was in shock," said Ward.
The truck Lovell ordered is a blue-jean blue V8 diesel, according to the lottery. His two granddaughters who now have trusts are 3 years old and six months old.
He has three children.
Ward expects to get a banner from the Maine State Lottery this week to put up at his store. The lottery pays bonuses to retailers that sell winning Powerball tickets.
"It was awesome. It was exciting," Ward said of selling the $2 million ticket.
Before the $30,000 scratch ticket last month — Ward still doesn't know who bought that one — the most a customer of the Canaan Superette had won was $5,000.
Nice win James. Best wishes for you and yours.
Congratulations James!! Great story. However, I need the next Powerball Jackpot.
Congrats from a former Mainer! Too bad the great state o' Maine will be taking a healthy cut out of that.
Congratulations on your win Mr. Lovell...... hope you find a job soon
Way to go James. Just some cautionary advice " No kissing in the Schoolyard from now on bud you do'nt wanna spook the kids"
Great story, congrats to the lucky couple.
Congrats! J.L.
Let it snow!
Congratulation,James!
Good work
This is probably the best thing to happen to James Lovell since Apollo 13 made it back.
I been waitin to see if anyone was gunna say anything about the man's name.
LOL I shoulda knowed it would be you.
Congratulations to James Lovell on his, apx. $1M net, tidy Powerball win!
It is kind of James to share with his 3 children and 2 grandchildren. If he, for example, gave each $45K, then he and his wife would have apx. $815K remainder to take a family vacation to Disneyland, James become part-time mornings options trader, and James work a 40+ hour weekly job.
I appreciate his unemployment anxiety, though. I hope that James finds the full-time work that he'd probably require for the next 9 years. Since James' got valuable experience, if he's in good physical and mental shape, he should probably create a C-Corp, purchase his own cab, trailer, nation-wide registrations, and insurances in its name; then pay a reasonably priced, successful transportation scheduling company to assign him (and one of his co-riding children) jobs Ms-Fs during those 9 years.
CONGRADULATIONS MR. LOWELL:
Lady Luck finally blesses the unemployed, we are way overdue for some good fortunes.
Invest wisely and don't go broke in 7 to 10 years. Enjoy that new truck.
Luckyfingers.
If you win such amount of money, why become an employee if you can become an employer? Just be careful with your finances.