West Boylston truck driver tells boss he's retiring - then wins $1 million on scratch ticket
BOSTON - A West Boylston truck driver getting ready to enjoy his golden years got the perfect retirement present - a huge scratch ticket win.
The Massachusetts State Lottery says that on July 17, Paul Bashaw told his employer of more than two decades that he'd be retiring at the end of the following week. And on July 20, he won big.
The 66-year-old scratched off the $1 million prize on the Lottery's "$5,000,000 100X Cashword" game, which sells for $20 a ticket. He still finished his last two weeks at work and kept the happy news a secret.
"I told my wife there were three things in life I never thought I'd see happen: the Patriots winning the Super Bowl, getting a hole in one – that happened five years ago – and hitting the Lottery, and now I've hit all three," Bashaw said in a statement through the Lottery.
Bashaw claimed his prize Friday at Lottery headquarters, taking a one-time lump sum payment of $650,000 before taxes. He said he plans to use some of the money to travel.
J&J Variety on West Boylston Street sold the winning ticket. There are still six $1 million prizes remaining in the game, and two $5 million winners.