"Single mom does good. If her winning ticket disappeared she could have lost her chance to claim her winnings. Growing up in Earlham, West was raised with seven siblings and attended Earlham High School until she left at 17. Meet Lerynne West, the 51-Year-Old Iowa Grandmother Who Just Won $343.9 Million in the Powerball Lerynne Wests new job didnt last long. A Grandma Who Almost Lost Her Lottery Ticket! Her father was a Vietnam veteran and a welder and her mother was a stay-at-home mom. Did you encounter any technical issues? West said once she remembered to look, she couldnt find her tickets, eventually discovering she had left them on the floor of her sisters pickup truck. Unlike some other famous jackpot winners, Lerynne West won the grand prize at Powerball when she was 51. "If I was meant to win it, I was meant to win it," West said. 1998 - 2023 Nexstar Media Inc. | All Rights Reserved. Around noonish I said to [my sister], Im really hungry and I need coffee, can you please take me to Caseys [General Store] so I can get a slice of pizza and a coffee? So her and I went to Caseys in Redfield and I said, Oh yeah, can I get my lottery tickets? I didnt think of them again until Sunday morning.. Lerynne West purchased a Powerball lotto slip at her local vendor in October 2018. However, she stated in an interview that she used to buy lottery tickets twice a week when she had the money. Mega Millions Winner Selling $26 Million Mountaintop Mansion Because of Sons Heart Condition. The Redfield, Iowa, grandmother came forward Monday morning to the Powerball headquarters in Clive, Iowa, to accept her half of the prize money. West walked beans and detasseled corn in summer during her youth. I'm giving away $20,000 for the PALIATIVE relief fund. More: Iowans love Casey's MyLottoGuide, is not affiliated with, approved or endorsed by any state, multistate lottery operator, or other organization. "My girls and I used to dream of winning the lottery," West said. Her other option was a $343.9 million annuity that would be disbursed over 29 years. She supported her daughters as a single mother by working full time and going to school at night and on the weekend. In November 2018, Lerynne West claimed a winning $349.9 million jackpot from the Iowa Lottery. West stated in an interview that she started her family soon after earning her GED. WebDES MOINES, Iowa - If you've recently followed Lerynne West on Facebook or Twitter with the hopes of getting a piece of her recent Powerball winnings, that likely isn't going to happen. I plan to make thoughtful and responsible decisions on giving to my friends, my family and setting up so that my grandchildren will all have a college education.. Or so she thought. An interesting thing related to this draw is that the lottery advertised a $750 million jackpot. When a friend contacted Lerynne to find out if she had won she hadnt had a chance to check. The 51-year-old grandmother of six will share the $687.8 million jackpot drawn on October 27th with a winner from New York City. Iowa Lottery officials have confirmed that Lerynne West of Dexter, Iowa, is one of two winners of a nearly $700 million Powerball prize. 'I have been extremely blessed' Iowa woman wins $343.9 Million Powerball, Iowans love Casey's pizza and for good reason, These are the top lottery prizes won in Iowa since the Iowa Lottery was founded in 1985, These are Iowa's 8 most recent Powerball jackpot wins, Your California Privacy Rights/Privacy Policy. After starting a new When she had the extra money, West would play the lottery. When I was fourteen, I started detassling and walking beans so that I could earn money to buy my school clothes and to help with the family, West said. Lerynne West didnt have a specific method to winning the jackpot. Wests sister took a picture of the ticket and sent it to her. She is excited to help out family and friends and has set up the Callum Foundation, named for a grandson who was born at 24 weeks and lived for just one day. Crime - Iowa Grandmother Lerynne West Won $343.9 Million Powerball Nobody believed me, West said Monday after submitting her winning ticket at lottery headquarters in suburban Des Moines. She plans to buy a new house and replace her car, a Ford Fiesta with 142,000 miles that people have beat up.. Currently I drive a Ford Fiesta with 142,000 miles on it. Select this result to view Leanne C West's phone number, address, and more. The daughter of a Vietnam veteran and a stay-at-home mom, West described her humble roots during the press conference. The foundation's goals will be to make grants to help alleviate poverty and hunger and encourage education, animal welfare and help for veterans. She entered the numbers into the Powerball website, where winning numbers show up in red, and got a response of "red, red, red, red, red, red jackpot. She didnt even think about the tickets later until she realized what the winning numbers are. She could opt for an annuity worth $343.9 million, paid in 30 graduated payments over 29 years, with federal withholding of 24 percent and state withholding of 5 percent applied to each payment. Halting briefly to hold back tears, West said the foundation was named after a grandson born prematurely in April who lived only one day. The jackpot was split between the two players and they each got $343.9 million. Iowa has laws that forbid staying anonymous after a lottery win. Instead it sat on the floor of her sister's pickup truck. October 28th, the morning after the drawing, a friend texted her to ask if she had won the lottery, since someone from Iowa had split the jackpot with a winner in New York. "I called my daughter, and I told her I needed her to come out because I think I won the lottery, and she said, 'Oh, OK,'" West said. Comment / Review. What Lerynne West Could Have Done Better? Wests ticket and a ticket purchased in New York split the $687 million Powerball jackpot in the October 27 drawing. She has lived in Dallas County much of her life. You can change your choices at any time by clicking on the 'Privacy dashboard' links on our sites and apps. They thought I was crazy.. Please look at the time stamp on the story to see when it was last updated. The 51-year-old has opted to receive the lump sum option giving her $198.1 million before taxes. Lerynnes sister helped with the moving process, and they decided to get some food and coffee in the local store. Her foundation is dedicated to helping with education, hunger, poverty, and veteran affairs. There it was, on the pickup floor a scrap of paper worth a share of $688 million. There are 10+ professionals named "Lerynne West", who use LinkedIn to exchange information, ideas, Overcoming 292.2 million to 1 odds, West took home a $198.1 million lump sum. document.getElementById( "ak_js_1" ).setAttribute( "value", ( new Date() ).getTime() ); Copyright 2023 Nexstar Media Inc. All rights reserved. Two years later, she earned her G.E.D. and I won the Power-ball jackpot lottery of $343.9 million which is a life-changing moment. WebLerynne West Foundation 58 likes 63 followers Posts About Photos Videos More Posts About Photos Videos Intro Charity Organisation set up by Lerynne West, the lucky winner She'll share the prize with someone who The Callum Foundation will help individuals by grantmaking in several areas: poverty and hunger, education, animal welfare, and veteran affairs, according to the website. She bought a Powerball ticket and thought she put it in her purse. This simply goes to show that you could potentially win the lottery if you play consistently which is a lottery strategy. She had three daughters and raised them as a single mom. 4 Lerynne West, of Redfield, Iowa, arrives to claim her share of a According to a CNN article, West stated she wanted to buy a new car with her winnings. 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The ticket was one of two, nationwide, to get all the numbers matched in the October 27th Powerball drawing. "She's a great mom," said her daughter, 24-year-old Skylar West. I have three awesome, beautiful daughters. When I was fourteen, I started detassling and walking beans so that I could earn money to buy my school clothes and to help with the family, West said. Daughter Says, 24-Year-Old Man Revealed as $768 Million Lottery Winner, Wants to 'Help Out the World', It's True! She said it was a special West grew up in a working class family in Earlham, Iowa, which has a population of 1,450. She is excited to help out family and West had worked for a health insurance company, but she retired after learning she'd won the lottery. She held several jobs at Principal before taking a new job at Wellmark in September 2018 as a procurement analyst. "I know she'll do right with the money," said her friend, Ruth Easter. Iowa Lottery officials have confirmed that Lerynne West of Dexter, Iowa, is one of two winners of a nearly $700 million Powerball prize. She simply played the lottery twice a week when she could afford to. The problem was Lerynne couldnt find the tickets anywhere! She'll share the prize with someone who bought the other winning ticket in New York City. Taking the cash option of $198.1 million, minus taxes, West said she plans to use the money to support her family including her mother, seven siblings, three daughters and six grandchildren and help others. Two years later, she earned her G.E.D. The daughter of a Vietnam veteran and a stay-at-home mom, West described her humble roots during the press conference. Subscribe to our Daily Headlines newsletter. The Redfield, Iowa, grandmother came forward Monday morning to the Powerball headquarters in Clive, Iowa, to accept her half of the prize money. West said once she remembered to look, she couldnt find her tickets, eventually discovering she had left them on the floor of her sisters pickup truck. Well, nothing showed up in red because I had the wrong date in there., RELATED VIDEO: Lottery Winner with Cancer Dies Three Weeks After Finally Being Able to Afford Doctor, When I put the correct date in, it said Jackpot, West continued, adding, I thought, Ive done something wrong again. , West said it took her a minute to fully realize that she had won, at which point she told her sister to get that ticket, get into your truck, get up here now and drive slow., Im gonna buy a car, she said. Lerynne West purchased a Powerball lotto slip at her local vendor in October 2018. West bought the ticket in Redfield, a community of 800 people about 30 miles west of Des Moines. Wests lucky purchase came after she had already made a big life change. ", On Sunday, a friend informed West that the winning tickets had been sold in Iowa and New York. West said she grew up in a very humble family with seven siblings in Iowa and knows what its like to struggle financially. Fortunately, Lerynne found the ticket later, so it was a story with a happy ending. More: Iowans love Casey's pizza and for good reason. Im gonna get a car that I can take all my grandchildren places..