13 January 2023 , 16:17
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A man scooped $1 million after his wife found his missing lottery ticket in his notepad.
Terry Peace, 65, from Waynesville, North Carolina, US, purchased a $2 Powerball (£1.60) ticket from a Market store in the town, on January 4, and stashed it in his notepad.
However, he had completely forgotten where he had placed the lottery ticket until his wife found it inside his notepad.
She quickly urged him to check the ticket to see if the pair had won a prize.
Terry said: "My wife found it in her pocketbook. I guess when she initially reached in to check the tickets she just missed that one."
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He hopes his $1 million winnings - worth £817,000 - will allow him to retire early and be able to spend more time with his family.
In addition, there are also plans to use some of the money on renovating his house, which he has been unable to afford to do.
Terry said: "This is life-changing. How many people really win a million dollars."
His odds of winning as estimated by lottery officials were one in 11.6 million but never stopped Terry believing he would one day win big.
He added: "I've always had good luck. I always told people, 'I know I have the luck to win.'"
After tax, Terry took home a very tidy $712,501 (£582,000) as he aims to put some of the money away for his grandchildren.
The couple did not even realise they were winners (Getty Images)He added: "We just can't put into words how happy we are and how appreciative we are."
In a statement North Carolina Education Lottery said: "A forgotten ticket at the bottom of a purse became a $1 million Powerball win for Terry Peace of Waynesville.
"Peace, 65, does renovation work on homes. He said winning this prize could lead to an early retirement.
"Peace bought his $2 ticket for the Jan. 4 drawing from I Market on Barber Boulevard in Waynesville.
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"Peace's winning ticket matched numbers on all five white balls in the drawing. The odds of matching all five white balls are 1 in 11.6 million.
"He claimed his prize at lottery headquarters Wednesday and, after required federal and state tax withholdings, took home $712,501.
"Peace said he wants to put some money aside for his grandchildren, put some in savings, and buy a Ford F-150 truck."