It only takes a Minit to win 100K
Published: June 11, 2005
John Ashman always joked with his friends at the 32nd Street Minit Market about a day when the cash register was not going to have enough money to pay off his lottery winnings. But when his wishful forecast came true, he did not know what to do with himself.
Ashman, a native to Ocean City and technician supervisor with Comcast Cable, was experiencing a typical day at the office when his routine trip to the Minit Market changed things.
As always, he purchased a Golden Ticket scratch-off and proceeded to etch away at it with his lucky pen knife in front of the store. On this occasion, he blew off the debris and found that he was not going to be driving home empty-handed or collecting $5 or $10 like he was used to.
“You should have seen him when he came back into the store after he found out,” said Paula Sinagra, the woman who sold him the winning ticket. “He was shaking so hard that he had me shaking, so I knew it was going to be big, but I had know idea that it was going to be $100,000,” she also said.
Ashman was in a state of shock and disbelief until Sinagra scanned the ticket and he saw the computer screen which read “Prize too high, send customer to Lottery.”
Ashman and his friend, Minit Market owner Doug Jacobs, did just that when they flew into Martins Airport near Baltimore to meet a representative from the Maryland State Lottery. At the airport, Ashman received his larger than life check, which now hangs in the front window of what he calls the lucky Minit Market, which also recently sold tickets to a $10,000 and $15,000 winner.
“You always think about how big six figures is and it is an unexplainable feeling to see it all in front of you at once,” said Ashman.
Ashman said that with everything closed over the Memorial Day weekend that he really had time to consider what he was going to do with the money.
“My two daughters have been telling me for two years that we need a new sofa and I have always told them that we would get one as soon as I win the lottery,” Ashman said about the promise he intends to honor. He also plans to use some of the money to take his daughters to Disney World, a trip he says he can finally stop saving for and just go.
“I’m tickled to death for him, I’m glad a good local customer won and it could not have happened to a nicer guy,” Jacobs said.
Ashman also said that with two daughters Meredith (a second year student at Hood College) and Alex (a high school senior) either in or approaching college that he expects a good chunk of his winnings will go toward tuition payments.
While Ashman does not leave his daughters out of any of his post scratch off winning plans, he admits to enjoying the attention he has been receiving lately.
“When you first win you never really think about that part of it, but it has been great, I’ll admit it.”
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