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Lucky scratch

Employee wins big lottery prize

Female employee holds winning lottery check
Sanford, NC, Letter Carrier Irene Tillman claims her $1 million prize this month. Image: North Carolina Education Lottery

A $1 million payout on a $30 lottery ticket is a good deal — just ask recent jackpot winner Irene Tillman.

When the Sanford, NC, letter carrier realized her scratch-off ticket was a winner, she asked the store clerk if she could sit down.

“I had to look at it two or three times to make sure,” Tillman said.

Her family didn’t believe her at first.

“My husband asked me where I’d bought that joke ticket,” said Tillman, a 13-year USPS employee.

The letter carrier wasted no time claiming her prize, which was covered by local TV stations.

“I bought the ticket on Saturday and was at the lottery office Monday morning,” she said.

Tillman, who chose to receive a lump sum of $600,000, said she will put the money to good use.

“We are raising three of our grandkids, and our son was injured in a motorcycle accident,” she said. “We have a lot of responsibility.”

Tillman’s co-workers expressed their happiness when she came back to work.

“It’s like a big family in my Post Office,” she said. “When something good happens to one, something good happens to all.”

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