Winona Lake Resident Wins $1 Million at Warsaw Gas Station
Posted
Jennifer Peryam-jperyam@timesuniononline.com
Winona Lake resident Ron Redden Sr. is $1 million richer after purchasing a winning Mega Millions with Megaplier ticket.
Redden, 55, who said he is unemployed, said he plays the lottery every week at the Phillip’s 66 Gas Station on Center Street and at 1:15 p.m. on Dec. 5 was his lucky time and day.
Redden has lived in Winona Lake for 20 years, and lived in Kosciusko County for 40 years. He moved to Warsaw from Sarasota, Fla., when he was a sophomore in high school, and is a 1974 Warsaw Community High School graduate.
When asked how he will spend the money, he said he plans on getting central air in his home. He also plans on investing some of the money in an annuity, and giving some of the money to his three children.
“I called my kids and told them not to expect a brand new house because they aren’t getting that,” Redden joked.
“In Winona Lake I think I am the only one in my addition without air conditioning in the house, and it got pretty brutally hot in there this summer.”
On Dec. 5, Redden purchased a Mega Millions with Megaplier ticket at the Phillip’s 66 gas station. The Mega Millions ticket matched the first five numbers, but not the Megaball.
Redden added the Megaplier for an extra dollar which increased the prize from $250,000 to $1 million. The lucky winning numbers were 7-21-29-35-49; the Megaball was 39; and the Megaplier was 4.
Al Larsen, Hoosier Lottery public relations manager, presented Redden with a ceremonial check Tuesday afternoon at the Phillip’s 66 gas station where Redden won the lottery on Dec. 5.
Redden said he came into the Phillip’s 66 store at a quarter after 1 p.m. on Dec. 5 and purchased a lottery ticket from Manoj Khullar, Phillip’s 66 store manager.
“When I play the Mega Millions I always play the Megaplier so I purchased the ticket that cost me $6,” Redden said.
Redden said he has been playing the Hoosier Lottery since its inception, but the Mega Millions just became available so he has been playing that since last year.
He said he found out Dec. 6 he had won, and he first notified his girlfriend, Karla Moore, then called his daughter, Rachelle Redden, then his older daughter, Ronda Breckenridge.
“I was on my way to buy a new tv to put in the bedroom to surprise my girlfriend because she always wanted one in there,” Redden said.
“I don’t like watching tv in the bedroom because I think it encourages eating, but I did all this before she came home from work Wednesday.”
On his way to Fort Wayne, he said he received a phone call from his girlfriend who said that someone had won a million dollars from the gas station across from the Ramada and she knew he played there.
“I told her I had checked my ticket and it wasn’t me at first,” Redden said.
He read the Internet and newspaper when he returned home and went to look at his lottery ticket and saw another ticket sitting there and turned it over and saw the first three numbers.
He had a Hoosier Lotto play slip that matched his numbers.
“I said thank you Jesus because I knew that was the winning ticket and I called my girlfriend and told her I was the million dollar ticket holder,” Redden said.
“She started screaming with excitement and I couldn’t understand her so I told her to come home.”
Khullar, who Redden purchased the winning ticket from, said he was notified by Hoosier Lottery Officials on Dec. 7 that there had been a winner at their store. The lottery ticket draw was Dec. 6.
Redden said he came back into the gas station Dec. 7 and asked if the store owners knew that a person had won the lottery at their store. He said he knew at that time he had won, but didn’t say anything.
“I went in to a couple of gas stations where customers were talking about the winner, but didn’t let on that I was the winner,” Redden said.
Khullar said Redden stopped by the Phillip’s 66 again Dec. 9 and admitted he was the winner.
Khullar’s wife, Simi, also was in the store when Redden purchased the ticket.
“Ron came in the store again last week asking if we knew someone had won the lottery and we told him we did and he smiled but did not tell us it was him then he left,” Simi said.
Redden said when he discovered he had won the ticket he said, “I thought I guess this will be a pretty easy December, a pretty relaxing December.”
Redden said he will always remember last week, and plans to continue to play the lottery.
“I have to admit I am a ‘lottery’ junkie and people ask me why I waste my time playing the lottery,” Redden said.
“I say a person spends $6 a pack on cigarettes, and I spend $6 on playing the lottery and have a better chance of getting rewards,” Redden said.
According to Larsen, after federal and state withholdings, Redden will take home a little more than $700,000.
