Massachusetts man hits $1 million on scratch ticket on same day he laid father to rest, has plans for winnings

A Massachusetts man hit $1 million on a state scratch ticket in a scenario that could be taken straight out of a movie.

According to the Massachusetts State Lottery, Timothy O’Connor is the first $1 million prize winner in the Massachusetts State Lottery’s “$4,000,000 Platinum Jackpot” instant ticket game.

On the day he purchased the ticket, O’Connor and his family had laid his father to rest. Later that day, O’Connor and a friend pooled their money together to buy some Mega Millions tickets due to the large jackpot and they decided to take $20 out of the pool to buy some instant tickets, one of which was the big winner. He called this occurrence a celebration of his father’s life.

O’Connor, who is from Westfield, chose the cash option on his prize and received a one-time payment of $650,000 (before taxes). He is sharing his winnings with his friend and will use his portion to go on a vacation and invest.

He purchased his winning ticket at Country Mart located at 397 Little River Rd. in Westfield. The store will receive a $10,000 bonus for its sale of this ticket