Soldier becomes instant millionaire
Published: November 16, 2006
Lottery winner Bill Rivenburgh said, “It’s going to be a little easier. I won’t have to live paycheck to paycheck.”
The 38-year-old’s fortune changed for the better on October 25th in the parking lot of Stewart’s on Brandywine Avenue in Schenectady. That’s when he scratched off his winning “Be An Instant Millionaire” ticket on his way home from work.
“I called my wife and told her about it. She thought I was lying and that was that,” said Rivenburgh.
He said once he scratched it, he had to look at it more than once before he realized how much he had won.
Rivenburgh said, “Oh, I had to look at it five times. My wife thought I was lying. I told her I was as serious as a heart attack.”
A veteran of the war in Iraq, Rivenburgh was sent overseas one day after his Valentine’s Day wedding to his wife Lisa in 2004. But instead of taking that honeymoon they never had, Rivenburgh instead plans to invest in his kids’ future.
“I’m going to invest some of it in CDs for my nieces and nephews, my kids, my stepson. That way they have something when they’re old enough,” Rivenburgh said.
The Rivenburghs haven’t had it easy. Lisa spent some time in rehab while her husband was overseas and the couple has taken in Bill’s sister’s three kids in addition to their own.
Lisa Rivenburgh said, “We don’t have to wonder where your Christmas presents are coming from every year. That’s how I’m looking at it. We’re not rich. We’re just more comfortable.”
Rivenburgh also plans to renovate his house and take the kids to Disney World. He’ll receive $50,000 a year for the next 20 years.
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