RALEIGH – A Virginia retiree had an Independence Day she won’t soon forget after winning $1 million in Saturday’s Powerball drawing.

Angela Leyco of Chester, Va. drove down to the Outer Banks on Friday to spend the holiday weekend with her daughter. Just as she crossed into North Carolina, she stopped at the The Border Station on Caratoke Highway in Moyock to purchase three tickets for Saturday’s Powerball drawing.

On Sunday, after the fireworks had ceased, the excitement continued when she learned she’d matched all five white balls but not the red Powerball to win $1 million.

“We stopped at the same store and checked the ticket on our way back up to Virginia,” Leyco said. “When the clerk showed me the winning numbers and said I’d won a million dollars, I couldn’t believe it. I wanted to scream, but I just kept smiling until I got back to the car. I kept asking my husband to pinch me because I knew it had to be a dream.”

Leyco, a retired human resources technician, collected a check for $692,500 after state and federal withholdings. Her lucky $2 ticket beat odds of 1 in 5.1 million to win.

“I’ve always wondered how it would feel to come to the lottery office to collect a big prize,” said Leyco. “I don’t have to wonder anymore. It feels wonderful. I’m going to pay some bills, spend some on my grandchildren and maybe take a trip to Italy.”

Russell Hastings, the owner of The Border Station, said he was happy for Leyco and excited that the lucky ticket was sold in his store.

“It’s a great feeling,” Hastings said. “It’s certainly gotten a lot of folks talking around here and more people are buying tickets. We’re a lucky store now.”

The July 4 drawing paid off in a big way for another ticket sold in North Carolina. A $3 Power Play ticket, sold at O’Neil’s Quick Stop on South Morgan Street in Roxboro, also matched all five white balls. Because the multiplier for the drawing was 2, the prize was multiplied to $2 million.

Ticket sales made it possible for the lottery to raise more than half a billion dollars for the state last year. North Carolina Education Lottery net proceeds will be used this year to help pay salaries of teachers and teacher assistants, for pre-kindergarten programs for at-risk four-year-olds, school construction and repair, and need-based college scholarships and financial aid.

For details on how lottery funds have made a difference in Currituck County, click on the “Where the Money Goes” tab on the lottery’s website.