Grayson -
Winning the lottery can take a lot out of you - just ask Claude and Dianne Gyug of Grayson, Saskatchewan, whose LOTTO MAX ticket for the January 8th draw won them a whopping $20 million.
Claude woke up early Saturday morning and turned on his TV just in time to see the lottery numbers scroll across the screen. He wrote them down and then went to check his ticket.
"The numbers on the last line looked awfully familiar, "Claude recalled. "When I saw that it looked like I had all the numbers, I called that winning numbers line - I thought I must have got something wrong." The winning numbers line, however, read out the same seven numbers.
Dianne, meanwhile, was working the 11 to 7 shift, and wouldn't be home for another hour.
"It was the longest hour of my life," Claude grinned. "I was wondering if I should just go out, so that she could sleep before I told her. I knew she'd know something was up as soon as she saw me."
"I sure did," Dianne said. "He was all flushed and excited. I said, 'Where have you been?'" she laughed. "That's when he told me we were millionaires."
Following the win, the couple spent a nervous day wondering how they were going to keep from telling everyone their news.
"We were a mess Saturday, we really were," Dianne confessed. "Our kids were away, and we didn't want to tell anyone before we told our kids."
They managed to keep their secret until Tuesday, January 12th, when they were able to reach one of their children on vacation in Disneyland.
Claude and Dianne bought their winning ticket at the Royal Drug Mart on 3 Avenue East in neighboring Melville. The win was perfect timing for the couple - Claude retired from the Canadian National Railway on January 1, 2010.
"I've always dreamed of having a fishing boat," Claude said. "So I'm buying myself a boat."
"And I'm buying a 2010 Lincoln," Dianne laughed, adding, "It's really overwhelming. We are so thrilled that we can help our children and grandchildren. Family comes first."
