It was quite a secret to sit on, but after a month, a New Jersey mom came forward as the winner of the March 13 Powerball Jackpot for $211.7 million.
Sandra McNeil needed that time to talk things over with her family, her lawyer and finance gurus, according to The Star-Ledger. Then she opted for the cash option, which means she gets roughly $101.6 million before taxes are taken out.
Not bad -- not bad at all.
"I give God all the glory for this blessing that He has given to me ... He has seen and knows the highs and lows of my life, and knows the good I have done and can continue to accomplish in His name," she said in a statement released by the New Jersey Lottery Commission.
McNeil, who works part-time as a member of the Morris School District's school board, plans to use some of the money to make sure her kids can continue their education, according to the Star-Ledger. And she just wants to go on living her life -- quietly.
"I was a private person before God blessed me so generously, and that is how I wish to remain," she said.
McNeil didn't quit her job, as any of us who won such a sum might be tempted to do, but she did take a leave of absence.
And in case you're wondering, she bought her winning lottery ticket at Gene's II Deli on Speedwell Avenue in Morris Plains.
