The year 2020 has not been friendly to anyone – mainly due to the coronavirus pandemic that we are currently in since then.
This year hasn’t proven to be easy for the couple from Turner, Maire as they had to put their dog down, Baxter, this spring.
But the year ended on a different note than it started. And things turned upside down pretty quick – in a good way!
The Turner couple, Glenn Theriault and Stephanie Lemieux owns Green Thumb Pharm and frequently purchases lottery tickets from Food City in Turner. The couple kept saving up their winners and then go in and cash them in to buy more.
And voila, they won BIG when one of their $25 scratch-off lottery tickets turned up a winner for a $1 million top prize!
This was very much needed, especially after they had lost their dog.
“He was like our child and meant the world to us, especially since we were told I could never have children,” Lemieux told the Sun Journal on Saturday morning, three days after scoring their new immense fortune.
“Letting go was one of the hardest things we ever had to do, but it was time, and Baxter seemed to know it,” Theriault added. “Our luck seemed to instantly change after that awful day when we said goodbye.”
The virus took a massive toll on the local business and restaurants across the United States, and many people struggled financially. On the contrary, Lemieux and Theriault found themselves in the complete opposite situation.
“Our business was doing really well, and we were expanding while many people were closing down,” Lemieux recalled. “And then I found out I was pregnant after believe I couldn’t (be).”
The couple lives just a few miles down the road from the Food City grocery store on Auburn Road in Turner where they purchased numerous tickets throughout the week, and often they would buy a bunch at once to give out to their employees.
“We save up our winners and cash them in all at once and then buy a bunch more,” Theriault explained. “I figured we might get lucky one of these days and hit a big one. How’d that work out?”
And look how it ended up – they did get lucky one of those days and hit a big one!
Tuesday, December 29 was the day they cashed in on their previous lottery wins and bought 25 of the $25 tickets, and divided up the pile of scratch-off tickets worth $625 and got back to their work (not at all expecting what was coming their way!) Lemieux revealed a $50 winner, and Theriault scratched off a couple worth $30, but the best was about to come…
“I couldn’t believe what I was seeing, and it took a second for it to sink in,” Theriault said, describing what happened when he got to the 11th ticket. “I did a big karate chop on the arm of the recliner and yelled ‘I can’t believe it’ and jumped up!”
Lemieux couldn’t believe her fiancé at first, and honestly, I wouldn’t have either – such a big surprise!
“He jumped up and did a dance. I didn’t believe him and snatched it out of his hands to see for myself.” She said.
And off they went to take out the best tequila, understandably, and called up a relative who also couldn’t believe what they were saying! They quickly checked online to see that one of the four available top prizes worth $1 million just got sold, and that is when they realized that they should get going before they lose this precious win. And so they called up Maine Lottery office right away to book an appointment to get their hands on their prize.
“We had to get it safe; he was biting his fingers off he was so nervous about it,” Lemieux said after they had taken a photo of the ticket and placed it in a safety deposit box at the bank.
One of their first actions was to return to the Food City grocery store to give the manager and the clerk who helped them. “They were in shock and couldn’t believe it. The cashier began to cry and couldn’t speak. It was such a great feeling.” Lemieux said. How sweet is that?
And just a day later, a picture on their Facebook caught locals’ attention about the good fortune that the couple had just received.
Fun fact: only a few hours after the post, Lemieux went to the liquor store to restock for New Year’s and heard a conversation between a clerk and a customer who were debating about whether it was real or not.
Little did they know that it was real – and the girl was so near them!
“Thank goodness I was wearing a mask because the guy at the counter was talking with a customer and looking at my Facebook post and debating if the ticket was real or not,” she said. “I pulled the mask up a little higher and giggled to myself but didn’t want the attention.”
After paying the 29% taxes on the winnings, the couple will go home with $710,000 in cash, which they will use towards a new property, their retirement, and their expanding business.
As for their grand plans, they are planning to use the winnings to expedite their business expansion, buy a good-sized camp in Rangeley and get some snowmobiles or ATVs…or if they want to, both!
Who’s going to stop them?
If you got a ticket and want to check out your results quickly (who knows you might have won something? We don’t want you to lose that!), you can check out some of the best online lottery websites where you can easily find it. Not only that, you will find all the details and information you need to know! So don’t wait!