Raymond Donison is still in a state of disbelief.
Nearly a week after winning Friday’s $5-million jackpot prize in the 6/49 lottery, the retired Victoria iron worker and his wife, Stacey, are basking in their “unbelievable” good fortune.
There are vacations and family financial goals in the near future, but first it was “pizza, beer and champagne” for the lucky couple, their daughters and sons-in-law and granddaughters.
“It’s quite unreal,” Donison said in an interview Tuesday. “You’re looking at the computer and your ticket and the numbers are matching … it’s a mirror image … I go ‘whoa!’ … at first you don’t think it’s real.”
Donison, who had been watching Friday’s Vancouver Canucks game and checking his ticket, started shouting from the kitchen when the numbers matched, alerting Stacey, who was reading in another room.
Stacey initially thought her husband was pranking her when he said they had won $5 million.
“He’s such a jokester — I didn’t believe him [at first],” said Stacey.
Raymond purchased the winning ticket at the Esso gas station on Fort and Morrison Streets in Victoria. He’s been playing 649 and Lotto Max for about 20 years and usually used the numbers from their birthdays, but started using quick picks a few years ago.
Just to be sure, the Donisons also validated their ticket at the lottery kiosk at Hillside Mall in Victoria.
Raymond, 73, and Stacey, 72, are now planning a trip to Hawaii, in addition to a big family vacation with their two daughters, sons-in-law and three granddaughters.
“This win means the world to us — we can leave a legacy for our grandkids,” said Stacey.
Added Raymond: “My bucket list was to make sure that everyone in the family was happy and financially taken care of.”
For Raymond, the jackpot win caps his retirement. He worked in the construction sector in reinforcing steel for decades, having a hand in dozens of new projects around the city. Although he officially retired in 2010, he stayed in the field, doing estimating work and other small jobs.
His advice? “Keep playing … you never really know if you’re going to win if you don’t play.”
The Donisons claimed their $5-million jackpot on Friday at the B.C. Lottery Corporation’s Vancouver office.
So far in 2023, B.C. lottery players have redeemed more than $115 million in winnings from Lotto 6/49.
