The Georgia woman who was one of two winners of Tuesday's $636 million Mega Millions jackpot is from the Bronx, according to a published report.
Before moving to an Atlanta suburb, Ira Curry grew up at an apartment on 179th Street near the Bronx Zoo, the Daily News reports. Wednesday, the 56-year-old was the first of two winners to come forward to claim her share of the second-largest lottery jackpot in U.S. history.
A state lottery spokeswoman said Curry was taking a lump sum payment of $173 million for her share of the jackpot.
She chose her ticket numbers based on a combination of family birthdays and her family's lucky number, 7, which was the Mega Ball number, lottery officials said. When she heard that lucky number on the radio as she drove to work, Curry called her daughter to check the other numbers and was stunned when they matched.
"It's unreal," Curry said. "It's like I'm still dreaming."
Curry's sisters, Brenda Baker and Jalunda Baker Price, told the News Wednesday that they're thrilled for their sister.
"She shares, she's really nice," Price said. "She's such a sweet lady, she deserves the money."
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The sisters, who still live in the apartment where Curry grew up, said they're waiting to hear about what their newly minted millionaire sister plans to do with the cash.
"She only had time to call us this morning to let us know,” Price said. “We really haven’t talked about it."
The other winning ticket was sold in San Jose, Calif., where a winner has yet to come forward.
The jackpot resets to $15 million for the next drawing, which is on Friday night.
