Lottery jackpot winning couple still clip coupons
Published: November 18, 2005
Bob and Mary Mikkelson became instant millionaires last year, but they have discovered that money does not solve all problems. For example, with the almost $4 million lottery prize they took home after taxes they each bought a new SUV. But Bob’s new ride, a red 2006 Honda Ridgeline, has a problem, Mary said. “It doesn’t stop at historical markers,” she said.
Laughter followed by a little good-natured verbal jousting followed Mary’s quip. Jokes aside, the two have plenty to smile about these days. And they’ve had heartache, too.
They’re settled into a new four-bedroom house at the base of Ebner Coulee in La Crosse, just down the road from La Crosse Floral.
They took several months to move the contents of their Holmen mobile home into the new house. That might seem strange, but the Mikkelsons had crammed the contents of a two-story home into the mobile home when they moved to Holmen from San Antonio, Texas. They had a lot of stuff, and they weren’t in a big hurry.
The house - their first “new” house - has a great view of Grandad Bluff for New Year’s Eve fireworks, and a front porch where they can sit and watch them. The garage has room for Bob’s Honda, Mary’s white Jeep Liberty and another stall to spare, and the basement has plenty of space for Mary’s craft projects and her “gonna do room.”
They recently bought a pontoon boat, but got it too late in the season to get out and use it.
They also bought a condo for Mary’s aunt, who raised her and was living in a rundown old home on La Crosse’s north side.
And that’s about it for the big expenditures. Sure, they might eat out a bit more than they used to, and they’ve got a pretty nice TV in the basement, and they can afford to hire somebody to do the landscaping, but winning Minnesota’s Hot Lotto jackpot hasn’t changed their lifestyle or outlook much at all.
“I’m still the good old me,” Bob said with a smile, displaying a hat that says “I only golf on days that end in ‘Y’.”
Bob was semi-retired when they won the $10.8 million jackpot after a working life split between the U.S. Navy and the U.S. Postal Service. After the jackpot, he became officially retired. “I haven’t worked a lick since,” he said.
Much of the lump sum payout of almost $6.5 million went to taxes. In fact, about $500,000 more than Bob initially figured went to taxes, so their take ended up being about $3.8 million.
Most of that money is tied up in “very safe” investments, and they don’t really think about their millions. “We still cut out coupons and shop at Wal-Mart,” Mary said.
They might not think about the money consciously, but in a way it’s always there, a cushion from care. They don’t have to worry about money, and that makes life better.
“Life is very good,” Bob said. “It’s there if we need it for emergencies.”
But the past year hasn’t been all wine and roses. Last March, just a few days before their son, Scott, was to be married, they learned their daughter, Dawn, had to undergo surgery for a brain tumor. Less than two weeks later, Dawn was dead at the age of 37.
The sense of loss still lingers for Bob and Mary. “She was my little partner in crime,” Mary said.
Before they won the jackpot, Bob was in the habit of buying about $5 in lottery tickets every week. The day they won it was one of Mary’s rare ticket purchases - 2-3-15-26-36 and a Hot Ball of 18 - that won the big money.
Bob said he still buys Powerball tickets when the jackpot gets really big, but it’s with the same approach he always had, that it’s just entertainment. They already beat 11 million to 1 odds once, and in the back of his mind, he knows he has a much better chance of getting struck by lightning than he does of winning another jackpot. It’s just for fun.
“There’s no theory or skill to it at all,” he said. “It’s all luck.”
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