Senior Citizen Hits the Jackpot!

Most of us have fantasized at one time or another of what it would be like to really hit it big. Ask anyone who’s spent hours feeding cupfulls of coins into a slot machine or stood in line at a convenience store in hopes of purchasing the winning lottery ticket. For a brief period of time right before we are forced to face the reality that defying overwhelming odds and becoming instantly mega-rich just isn’t in the cards, we dream of a life where financial choice abounds.

Except for those in select professions whose every paycheck must look like lottery winnings, most of us will never see numbers that large on a check made payable in our name. So when the winner’s names are announced, and we’ve put to rest our hopes of graciously accepting that life-alterering check in front of a cheering crowd, there is some small consolation in the fact that we might find the winner likeable. It’s sort of like we need to approve of the person that is actually taking home what for even a brief amount of time was our. And if they are already wealthy or have some identifiable character flaw, it just makes the letdown that much more difficult to endure.

This past weekend in Chesterfield, Missouri, Jim Wilson, 84, and his wife, Shirley, 79, just hit it big to the tune of $254 million dollars. Unbelievable! With that kind of money, you could buy most anything you want. It might even be enough to run for a political office. And the best part about this week’s winners is that the Wilsons seem to be really nice people.

Mr. Jim Wilson is a retired electrician and WWII veteran, having served in the Army’s 82nd Airborne Division in Africa and Europe. As you might expect, the Wilsons plan to share their newly-acquired wealth with their three sons. Two of their three sons, Bill, 54, and Jim III, 59, had faced job layoffs during this past year. The third son,Terry, 53, stated he had not had a vacation in thirty years. The Wilsons also plan to set aside some money for their grandchildren and great-grandchildren as well.