NEW YORK STATE LOTTERY
Retiree hits $1 million jackpot at his favorite doughnut shop
After scratching off six losing Lottery tickets, Ted Maynard was ready to pack it in on a recent Saturday night at Paula’s Donuts on Kenmore Avenue.
But something — divine providence or his late wife, Mary Katherine — told him to try one more.
“So now I’m out 30 bucks, nothing’s happening. And I said OK, I quit. I’m not going to play anymore. But then something said play one more,” said the 63-year-old grandfather. “Then I got up and I played it, and it was the winner. Thank you Lord, thank you mother, because something guided me to play that one more time.”
Maynard was almost giddy when Gretchen Dizer of the New York Lottery (and a Town of Tonawanda native) presented him with a check for $1 million at Paula’s Donuts on Kenmore Avenue Thursday morning. The check was made out to Melford Maynard, and he joked that no one there knows him by his given name.
Customers, employees, and Paula Huber of Paula’s Donuts applauded heartily for Ted, a regular customer.
“I’m in here three times a day,” said the retired machine shop supervisor for ITT Enidine in Orchard Park.
It was on the evening of May 30, and he was in the shop, buying and scratching off instant lottery tickets with about seven other customers.
“OK, what did I win, 10 bucks?” he said, and then he looked down.
When he realized he won the jackpot, he could not get the words out of his mouth.
“J-J-J-J-J-J. . . ticket!” he said, when someone asked him what was wrong.
He said he first would give something to his daughters, Donna Hernandez and Joanne Helmbrecht. Then the Erie County SPCA will get something, because his wife, who died in January, was a lover of animals.
“Of course, some to charity, and then the rest, whatever I feel like doing,” Maynard said. “My wife and I, neither one of us were materialistic. We felt if we could pay our bills and have a clean house, that would be good.”
Maynard will receive 20 annual payments of $50,000. After taxes, his yearly check will total $33,015.
The Lottery’s New York Millionaire ticket includes a variety of prizes from $5 and up, including four prizes of $1 million. As of Thursday, two of the top prizes remained, Lottery officials said.
But who knows how long they will last. Maynard’s luck seems to be lasting.
He bought another instant ticket Thursday after receiving the big check, and he won $10.
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