Iowa Woman’s Powerball Ticket Leads To Millions

Imagine waking up one day and going through your normal routine. You get ready for work, make your morning cup of coffee, and head out the door. On the way home from work you might stop at Hy-Vee to grab a few groceries or some laundry detergent. As you're in the checkout line you figure "Let's get a Powerball ticket. You never know."

I'm not sure if Tammy Gordy's day went exactly like that...but she did stop at Hy-Vee Fast & Fresh, located on the 1000 block of North Quincy Avenue in Ottumwa, and she's certainly glad that's how her day transpired.

According to the Iowa Lottery, Tammy is the newest $2 million Powerball winner.

What makes this story even better is Tammy and her husband know exactly what a chunk of the money will be used for.

Back in 2001, Tammy and her husband lived in Agency, Iowa. In 2001, Agency and other portions of Wapello County were heavily damaged by a tornado, which sadly resulted in Tammy's home being completely destroyed by the storm. She and her husband have been living in rental properties for years but that won't last for much longer.

Tammy and her husband are currently in the process of building a new home but it has been on hold for a few years. The process of building their new home is going to speed up a bit now and come with some pretty awesome upgrades.

She told the Iowa Lottery

We were in the process of building a home and it kind of got put on hold for a few years, so now this is going to speed it up. It's going to go into better details! I'm talking about a walk-in closet and a Jacuzzi tub! That's what I'm talking about!

Like most lottery winners, Tammy couldn't believe she won when first checking her ticket. After using the lottery's mobile app to double-check her ticket, she fell into her chair. She told the Iowa Lottery

I fell into my chair. I couldn't see! There were all those zeroes! I was like, 'Maybe I need my glasses.' So yeah, we screamed.

Tammy's ticket matched the first 5 Powerball numbers, as her ticket only missed the Powerball. She initially won $1 million but she also added the Power Play option to her ticket, which multiplied her winnings. She is the only person in the country who won a $2 million dollar prize from Saturday's drawing.

Kudos to Tammy for doing exactly what anyone should do if they win millions of dollars playing the lottery. She called her boss and told him she was taking a few days off from work. She told the Iowa Lottery

I called my boss and told him that I needed to take Monday and Tuesday off because I won $2 million on the Powerball. And so he says, 'Well, congratulations if you're not April Foolin' me!

Tammy and her husband Steve shared the news with their 4 adult children and some of their extended family before claiming the winnings this past Monday (June-26).

Other than completing building her new home, it appears like the money won't change her and her husband much. They'll just be able to do more things. She told the Iowa Lottery

We've never been material people, I can say that. Our family is more important to us. So, it's going to be that way. We're just going to be able to do more things.

If I had a crystal ball, I'm guessing "more things" might turn out to be a pretty sweet vacation at some point in her life. Congratulations to Tammy, her husband, and her family. What a massive win and a life-changing amount of money. Don't spend it all in one place!

Saturday's winning Powerball numbers were 2-38-44-59-62 and the Powerball number was 19. The Power Play number was 3.