CORINNA, Maine — Every Tuesday, Armand Hebert buys five $1 lottery tickets at the Corinna Big Apple, four for himself and one for his daughter. With a magnet, he sticks his tickets to his refrigerator.
Every Wednesday evening, the Maine State Lottery draws the winning numbers, and every Thursday morning, Hebert opens his Bangor Daily News and compares those numbers to the ones on his tickets. For some 30 years since Maine has offered a cash lottery, Hebert has played regularly but never won a major prize.
That losing streak ended Thursday. Hebert, an 83-year-old retired shoemaker who said his entire life has been a financial struggle, won $1 million.
“I don’t think anyone has any imagination for what this feels like,” said Hebert, surrounded by reveling family members at his home Thursday afternoon. “I’m shocked. It’s surreal.”
At first, Hebert thought he had won $100,000. He called one of his daughters, who left work to study the ticket with him. She thought he had won more — maybe $200,000 — but she wasn’t sure. They went to the Corinna Big Apple and the clerk’s first words to Hebert, who is a regular there, was that someone had won $1 million.
“I almost fainted right there on the floor,” said Hebert.
So he and his daughter Elaine Lister called lottery officials, who advised them to sit down before confirming the $1 million win. Hebert and his daughter went to Augusta, where Hebert collected a $1 million check.
Hebert’s winning ticket was in the Powerball game. He matched five numbers — 11, 30, 45, 47 and 48 — which would have been worth $200,000, but he selected the Power Play option, which cost him an additional $1. That multiplied his winnings by five times.
Hebert, who opted for a lump-sum payment, always has chosen EZ Pick numbers, where the machine picks for him. As recently as last week, he considered choosing his own numbers in an attempt to change his luck, but he didn’t.
“I’m glad,” he said. “I’m on cloud nine.”
Hebert, who has been married to his wife, Pauline, for 62 years, was born in New Hampshire but moved to the Livermore Falls area at age 8. When he reached adulthood, he took a job with the former Norrwok Shoe Co. and later transferred to Dexter Shoe Co. In all, Hebert toiled for more than 40 years making shoes. At times, that wasn’t enough to support his wife and their seven children, so he took on extra jobs, including milking cattle. Those seven children — two of whom succumbed to disease early in life — went on to produce 11 grandchildren and four great-grandchildren.
Though he plans to have his house painted and roof replaced — projects he was unsure how he’d pay for — Hebert said he’ll continue to live as frugally as he always has, with one major difference.
“I want to make sure my family is well taken care of when I’m gone,” he said. “I want to make sure they’re not going to go through the poverty that I did. It’s an awful strange feeling, being able to do that … but it’s all I care about.”
