Nash County woman screamed all the way to work after winning $25,000 a year for life prize

Audrey Woodard of Rocky Mount could not contain her excitement Friday morning on her way to work after a $2 Lucky for Life ticket won her a $25,000 a year for life prize.

“I was so excited I was driving in my car and screaming all the way to work,” Woodard laughed.

She said she won the prize playing numbers that hold a special significance for her.

“I play my birthday, my son’s birthday and his football jersey number,” she said.

Woodard, a 61-year-old production operator, said she initially planned to retire next year but her big win will allow her to retire early.

“I’m still just trying to soak it all in,” she said.

Woodard bought her lucky ticket for Thursday’s drawing from the Circle K on North Wesleyan Boulevard in Rocky Mount. She won her prize by matching all five white balls in the drawing.

“I told my family and they were ecstatic just like I was,” she said.

She claimed her prize Monday and had the choice of receiving $25,000 a year for the rest of her life or a $390,000 lump sum. She chose the $390,000 lump sum and, after required state and federal tax withholdings, took home $277,891.

Woodard said she will give some money to her family, pay off her car, and invest some of the winnings.

Lucky for Life is one of six lottery games in North Carolina where players have the option of buying their tickets through a retail location or Online Play. Lucky for Life drawings are held every night. The odds of winning the $25,000 a year for life prize are 1 in 1.8 million.

Ticket sales from draw games make it possible for the lottery to raise more than $2.5 million a day for education. A $10 million grant, using money raised by the lottery, helped Nash County build the new Red Oak Elementary School. For details on other ways Nash County benefits from lottery funds, visit www.nclottery.com and click on the “Impact” section.