For nearly two months, Doug and Enid Hannon of Lakefield kept a big secret from their entire family – a $70 million secret.
The couple, who have been married for 51 years, are Ontario’s newest multi-millionaires after winning the $70 million Lotto Max jackpot in the February 20 draw.
During a special winner celebration near their hometown, Doug and Enid shared the story of how they discovered they were holding a Lotto Max ticket worth $70 million and how they kept this huge secret for so long.
Even though Enid purchased the Quick Pick Lotto Max ticket at a grocery store while on the way to their camp, it was Doug who discovered the big win the day after the draw, when he checked the ticket on the OLG App.
“I was completely unaware that a winning ticket had been sold in our area. So, when I saw ‘Big Winner’ on the phone screen, I was shaking. My heart was pounding. I had to stare at it for a while and process all those zeroes. Then I had to check it a few more times.”
Doug, who has been retired for a few years, decided not to mention anything to his wife until she got home from work.
“I went to the garage and buried my head in some work while I struggled with disbelief and thought about our next steps,” Doug said. He made sure dinner was ready when Enid got home and waited until after they ate to share the news.
“Doug told me to come into the computer room, and the OLG website was on the computer screen. He told me to check the numbers on the ticket. When I realized we had won a prize, I first thought it was a $70,000 win. Doug told me to recount all the zeros, and that’s when it hit me that we had won $70 million,” Enid said.
That’s when the emotions let loose.
“We hugged and cried and started talking about this wonderful opportunity we now have to help family and others,” she said.
The couple decided to keep this multi-million dollar win amongst themselves for a while – they even kept it a secret from their grown children and grandchildren.
They agreed first to get financial and legal advice as they started to make some plans for the money.
Not telling anyone was difficult for Enid as she is very open and expressive with all who know her.
“Keeping this secret was killing me,” she said.
About a week before collecting their prize at the winner celebration, Doug and Enid finally told their children and grandchildren about their good fortune. Everyone was in disbelief and extremely happy for them.
During the celebration, the couple shared a few of their plans for some of the money.
Doug, who loves the outdoors, said he wants to travel.
“I would like to travel across Canada to experience the beautiful nature of this country from coast to coast,” Doug said.
Enid, who is about to retire, is excited about starting some long-awaited renovations to their home.
“I have been dreaming about a new kitchen for years, and now I will get it, along with some other improvements to the house, because we love where we live, and we don’t want to move,” she said.
The couple both agree that the number one priority for this money is their family.
“Our family is most important; we want to share this with them. I want to ensure everyone is safe, secure and well taken care of.”
They also plan to share some of their winnings with community causes close to their hearts.
At the end of the winner celebration, the Hannons decided to let the secret out to their extended family members. They invited them to a special family meeting where they revealed the $70 million win and a promise of a big family trip to celebrate together.
“This is truly a blessing for us and our family,” said Enid and Doug. “Like many people, you always hope to win the lottery, but we never dreamt this would happen to us. We are so very thankful.”
The winning ticket was purchased at Kinmount Independent Grocer on Kawartha Lakes County Rd 121 in Kinmount.