RALEIGH – A special year for a Hoke County couple became even more memorable Thursday. Just married in July, James Zurcher Jr. and Jamie Gabijan-Zurcher of Raeford won $750,000 thanks to a lucky $10 Jumbo Bucks ticket.

James was on his way to visit his mother in Lumberton when he stopped at the Sundo Kwik Stop on N.C. 72 East to buy some lottery tickets. In a welcome twist of fate, his favorite $2 game was sold out.

“I like the Jr. Big Ol’ Bucks,” he explained. “But they didn’t have it. So I tried the Jumbo.”

The top-prize winning ticket sat in his truck until he returned home, scratched it and saw it was worth $750,000.

“There was a lot of shock,” James recalled. “We’re still trying to wrap our heads around the amount.”

The couple said their after-tax winnings of $519,378 would allow them to pay off their mortgage, save for the future, share with their parents – and buy new cars. Jaime, an optician, said she’s got her eye on a new SUV. James, a home improvement crew leader and avid football fan, plans to get the black and yellow Pittsburgh Steelers-themed Dodge Charger he’s always wanted.

Purchases aside, the couple said they plan to continue living happily as they have been.

“As older newlyweds, we thought we’d be 80 years old by the time we paid off the mortgage,” Jamie said. “This will help us enjoy growing old together.”

Ticket sales made it possible for the lottery to raise more than half a billion dollars for the state last year. For details on how $21.9 million in lottery funds have made a difference in Hoke County, click on the “Where the Money Goes” tab on the lottery’s website.