Woman Wins Lottery, Tells Soon-to-Be Former Co-Workers to 'Check the News'

A $90 million jackpot lets Seattle's Lisa Quam retire early–and have some fun

Photo: Washington State Lottery/Reuters

If you’re the kind of person who daydreams about winning the lottery, what’s more fun for you: Thinking about how you’ll spend the money, or imagining how you’ll quit your job?

Before Thanksgiving day this year, Lisa Quam had never bought a Powerball ticket. Her first one, purchased at a grocery store in Auburn, Washington, beat the 1 to 175 million odds and paid out $90 million.

This jackpot newcomer quickly resigned her job as a contract manager at Boeing, where her husband, Everett, also works as a mechanic.

In a press conference on Thursday, Quam told reporters that she had “sent out an email to my co-workers and friends at work … and told them to check the news today and they’ll come to an understanding of why I am writing this note.”

Now, Quam and her husband of 32 years, who is also retiring, get to decide what to do with their big bucks – about to $56.8 million after taxes. “We have student loans just like every family, house repairs. Maybe we’ll buy a house for one of the kids,” said Quam.

Beyond that their wish list is surprisingly modest. The couple plans on buying a Subaru Forrester, picking up some new smartphones and donating to the Boy and Girl Scouts of America.