Missouri – In a serendipitous turn of events, a Bonne Terre couple was having trouble sleeping after discovering their fourth Powerball ticket, that they almost didn’t purchase, was worth $1 million.
On the evening of May 5, Gerald and Norma Rokan were on their way home from church when they stopped at Chuck and BJ’s, 919 Benham St., in Bonne Terre. While there, Gerald Rokan picked some Powerball tickets used Quick Pick.
“I had money in my billfold. I had a five and one single that I saw. And as she was starting to get me my tickets, I said, ‘Well, go ahead and give me another one because I found two more dollars,’” said Gerald Rokan. “And my comment to her was, ‘This might be an indicator.’”
And when Gerald Rokan looked through his tickets, it was that fourth ticket he bought with the extra $2 he found that matched all five white-ball numbers, making his winning ticket worth $1 million. But he didn’t realize the extent of his win at first.
“At that time I thought, ‘I better try these other glasses,’” said Gerald Rokan, as his wife laughed. “I just kept comparing it, but I had no idea what I had won. I mean, it shows on that printout, but it still wasn’t registering.”
Once his wife came home, Gerald Rokan asked her to sit down because he had something good to tell her. He held up the ticket in his hand, but she didn’t believe him. It wasn’t until his son pointed out that it (winning numbers breakdown) showed one $1 million ticket had been sold in Missouri that both Gerald and Norma Rokan realized this might be real.
“This is a once-in-a-lifetime thing!” said Gerald Rokan.