Jack and Evelyn MacIsaac showed up in Moncton recently to claim their million-dollar winnings from their $100 Million Fortune Scratch N Win ticket.
Submitted photoThe New Glasgow resident was late booking dinner reservations at his wife Evelyn’s favourite restaurant on Mother’s Day Sunday so he opted to take a Saturday night slot instead.
“I said, what the heck, we will go Saturday. When I hung up, I said I better get a card for tomorrow and when I got the card, I got up to the cash and put a scratch ticket in it.”
He said Evelyn got up Saturday morning, spotted the card and started scratching the ticket during her breakfast, thinking that her husband was a little early with his Mother’s Day celebration. A few minutes later, she came up the stairs and said, “You had better look at this.”
Jack made a quick call to Al Sutherland, the owner of Big Al’s Convenience store, to confirm that they were both seeing things correctly on the $100 Million Fortune Scratch N’Win ticket.
“Al lives about four doors down from us and I said, ‘We have to come down and see you.’” The retailer will receive a one per cent seller’s prize.
Jack said he believes fate had something to do with their win because if he had stuck with his original plan of going to dinner Sunday, he probably wouldn’t have purchased the Mother’s Day card or ticket until Saturday.
“Likely by then it would have been sold to someone else,” he said. “It was the luck of the draw and being in the right place at the right time.”
The MacIsaacs are involved in their community, acting as volunteers and board members for the VON, Summer Street Industries, and the Nova Scotia International Tattoo. Jack was MLA for Pictou Centre from 1977 to 1993. He currently works in the insurance industry.
“We haven’t changed. The bank account may have changed, but we haven’t and don’t intend to,” Jack said. “That amount of money gives you a great deal of flexibility (for) the things you might like to do.”
As a couple that enjoys travelling, a European river cruise to celebrate their 55th wedding anniversary next year is on the horizon. Australia and New Zealand hold a place on their bucket list as well.
The MacIsaacs’ win marks the eighth $1,000,000 prize claimed on the $100 Million Fortune ticket. Four top prizes are still remaining. In one year, Atlantic Canada has seen 100+ wins of $20,000 or more on Scratch’N Win tickets.
