‘It was heartbreaking, it was bittersweet’: woman wins $1 million in lottery 2 weeks before husband’s death

By Kalea Gunderson

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    FREEPORT, Pennsylvania (WTAE) — An Armstrong County woman on Thursday was officially given the $1 million lottery prize she won after buying a scratch-off game ticket in March.

It was a bittersweet win for 61-year-old Karen Coffman. She won the million-dollar prize as her husband of almost 31 years was nearing the end of his battle with a brain tumor.

“I told you I was going to hit a million,” Coffman said she told her husband.

She recalls that moment she told him about her win.

“I don’t know if he understood that, because it was coming towards the end and we knew it was coming,” Coffman said.

Coffman was presented the commemorative check, surrounded by her daughter and grandchildren at the Freeport BP on Buffalo Street where she purchased the ticket.

“It is now my pleasure to present you with a ceremonial check for $1 million in Pennsylvania,” said Allen Zieglar, sales manager for the Pennsylvania Lottery.

Now, she is making plans to check off a few bucket list items with her grandkids: Disney World, then deep-sea fishing.

“(Fishing) was me and the husband’s thing. Then, I got my grandson started on it, and he fishes, and I said, ‘let’s go deep-sea fishing,'” Coffman said.

While this is Coffman’s biggest lottery win, it’s not the only time she’s had luck. She said she won a trip, some nice prizes, and $65,000 on a scratch-off several years ago.

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