A Vernon retiree said his big win in the lottery will help make his golden wedding anniversary that much more memorable.
Wade Hardie purchased the winning ticket in Saturday’s Lotto 6/49 draw, with a guaranteed prize of $1 million.
The loyal customer bought his ticket at Hunter’s Store in Vernon.
Hardie said he was volunteering to make sandwiches for a local cribbage tournament with his daughters and wife when the others checked their own lottery tickets.
“My eldest daughter asked me if I had won because she didn’t,” Hardie said. “After we finished volunteering, I went home to take a nap.”
Hardie said he then checked his ticket and realized he had won the guaranteed prize. He said his wife insisted going back to the store to verify the ticket.
“She didn’t believe me. Only when we got down there and scanned the ticket did she actually believe me,” he said.
“We’re coming up on 50 years of being married,” Hardie said.
“We’ll be having a big family dinner to celebrate, but maybe we can make our anniversary extra special this year.”