Powerball winner William ten Broeke, 46, just deposited the largest check of his life into his bank account because of a gentle nudge from his better half.
He was shopping at the Publix in Brookhaven when his wife posed a life-altering question.
"Aren't you going to get a ticket?" Heather ten Broeke, 38, asked.
Without that reminder, William ten Broeke said he would have forgotten to purchase the ticket, which turned out to be worth $246.8 million.
The ten Broekes, who have been married five years and have one child, claimed their prize Monday at Georgia Lottery headquarters, officials said in a news release. The couple selected the cash option, which earned them $165.6 million before taxes.
Days after the drawing, the ten Broekes saw news reports that a winning ticket purchased in Brookhaven had not been claimed. The winning numbers from the Sept. 17 drawing were 9, 19, 51, 55 and 62, with Powerball number 14. The ten Broekes checked — and rechecked — the numbers on their ticket.
"We were shocked," said William ten Broeke. "We couldn't believe it. We checked the numbers numerous times."
Mr. ten Broeke works as a commercial credit officer. Mrs. Ten Broeke is a cardiac device specialist.
They plan to invest their winnings, travel, help family and donate to charity.
Publix Super Market #1363 in Brookhaven, 104 Town Blvd., Atlanta, sold the lucky Quik Pik ticket.
(Click to display full-size in gallery)
Thank to adamc224 for the tip.
Congrats to the winners!
How can someone not check their PB ticket the very next day? Good thing they didn't "laundry" it.
I started skimming through the article as I usually do and saw this:
"The ten Broekes, who have been married five years and have one child..."
I thought "How can there be ten of them when it's just the couple and an only child?"
Made me go back and re-read the rest of it.
I wonder how they pronounce their name? "Bro-ek-ee"? However they do, it's probably not pronounced "broke", not now.
Sounds like a Dutch name to me; like Brooklyn, Dutch for Broken Land.
Oh mike! LOL.
Congrats, life will never be the same
IKR.
I always try to remember(if i play 2.00 PowerBall the same evening or next morning.
but great to see when some win this game. I don't play it often.Better odds winning pick 4 etc. + 3pik
I'm with you. If I buy one, I check it as soon as the results are up and at the very latest the next morning.
Yeah, then I started getting suspicious about the name after going back to it and before scrolling down to see the
photo...I thought..Ben = Hundreds, ten = $$ too, broke = no money..I thought
did they make that up?? but
their picture is there with the gigantic check with the gigantic win. Can't hide now.
That is exactly what I thought...10 of them? 5 years?
WTG to them!!!
Congratulations William & Heather Spend Wisely
With a last name like Ten Brokes, it won't take long for hot sauce to find them.
Catchy phrase...especially hot sauce.
A friend in Atlanta said that is a rich area where the quik pik was sold; Buckhead.
William owes the wife Bigtime. What's the old saying " behind every successful man is a woman? "...or do I have it wrong? Nevertheless. .