Hitting the jackpot

John Gibson kept shaking his head, thinking, "This can't be true."

He'd look at the newspaper, then back to the ticket and then at the newspaper again.

"I did that three or four times," said Gibson, a 59-year-old retired postmaster. "I must have stared at that ticket for 30 minutes. I just thought it wasn't right. It couldn't be right."

This is only bizarre behavior if you're looking at anything other than a lottery ticket that has just won you $4.3 million.

Which was exactly the case for John Gibson, who -- along with his wife, Bev -- were introduced Monday for the first time as millionaires thanks to a little bit of luck and the Missouri Lottery.

With the winning numbers emblazoned on their shirts, the Gibsons stood side by side as the media fired questions at them at the entrance of Country Mart in Jackson, the spot where John bought the winning ticket on Aug. 8.

The couple, holding a giant mock-up of the check, said they have decided to take half of the money in a lump sum and have the rest stretched out to annual payments over the next 25 years. Lottery officials said that equates to a before-taxes lump sum of about $1.1 million and an annual annuity of $86,000.

It may be hard to tell that the Gibsons are millionaires if they spend the money the way they said they will. They hope to pay some bills, pay off the home mortgages for their two grown children and put money away for their grandchildren's college funds.

"We don't have big plans," John said. "We want to get debt-free and help out our kids. That's good for us. I hope it doesn't change us a bit."

John Gibson said he did plan to quit his post-retirement job in retail sales at Philipps Carpet. There were no hard feelings; his soon-to-be former boss was smiling at the news conference.

"It couldn't have happened to a nicer guy," said Joel Philipps. "He's going to be missed."

Philipps said that, while Gibson never misses work, he called in last Thursday and said he couldn't come in.

"He came in the next day and said, 'Friday will be my last day,'" Philipps recalled.

The Gibsons said they don't need a new home because they just bought a new house in Jackson. They said they would probably do some traveling.

"But we really haven't thought that far ahead," John said. "It hasn't sunk in yet. We still have to sit down and talk. I guess the natural thing to do is talk to a tax person."

A year ago, John Gibson began buying tickets once a week when he and his wife did their grocery shopping at Country Mart. He'd get Quick Pick tickets, meaning he'd let the computer pick his numbers for him.

Somebody has to win

"Why not?" John said. "I never thought I'd win. But like they say, somebody has to."

On the morning he discovered he'd won, his wife was in the shower. Bev Gibson said when she came out and her husband told her, she was in shock.

"My stomach was in knots," said the 58-year-old part-time nurse at Cape Girardeau Central High School. "When we had to go to Jeff City to claim the ticket, we got lost three times, and we've been there several times. We got lost four times going back."

Jim Kincy, the store manager at Country Mart, said sales of lottery tickets were up 20 percent after word got out Friday.

"People were thinking lightning would strike twice," he said. "The store was buzzing. We got a call from Mississippi from someone saying, 'I heard someone won a ticket there.' We're all excited."

The Country Mart will get $43,000 for selling the ticket.

Country Mart store customers walked slowly past the hoopla caused by Monday's announcement.

"I'd heard someone had won here," said LaVerne Sample of Patton, Mo. "I think it's great. I hope the money's well spent."

Managing editor Heidi Hall contributed to this report.

smoyers@semissourian.com

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