Devoted family man wins $80 million Powerball jackpot

A family man devoted to his wife, seven children and twenty-one grandchildren has come forward to claim Wednesday's $80 million Powerball jackpot.

Phillip Chippewa, 54, from northern Michigan purchased his ticket at the Barrels and Barrels Party Store located at 1375 SW Bayshore Drive in Suttons Bay.

"Anytime I see the jackpot getting up there I buy a few tickets and hope for the best," Chippewa told the Michigan Lottery. "I stopped at Barrels and Barrels the day of the drawing and almost walked out without buying the tickets, but at the last minute, I decided to get four plays."

Mr Chippewa said he did not realize he had the winning ticket until the day after the draw and that it was only when he heard the winning ticket was purchased in Suttons Bay that he decided to check his numbers.

"After I bought the tickets, I had put them away in my truck. I ran out to take a look at them and I didn't have to look past the first line to see I was the winner. Of course, my wife and son thought I was playing a trick, so my son pulled the numbers up on his phone and read them out loud while Dawn and I looked at the ticket together. By the time he was done, we both had tears in our eyes."

"With seven children and 21 grandchildren, I've always said that I might not have the most money, but I am rich with family," Chippewa said. "Now, I have all the money I'll ever need and can help my family for generations. That means everything to me." 

Mr Chippewa intends to purchase homes for all his children, splash out on a new Harley-Davidson motorcycle for himself and plans to carry on working!

"Winning is life-changing, but it's not going to change who we are," said Chippewa, who is a member of the Grand Traverse Band of Ottawa and Chippewa Indians. "My wife and I have been together for 25 years, we've always helped others and we're both still working.

"Every day when I come to work my boss asks me: 'Why are you here?' I just tell him that I was hired to do a job and I'm not going to abandon anyone just because I won. We'll both retire in time, but we believe in being good to the community that has been so good to us."

Mr Chippewa has opted to take a $42 million lump sum after taxes. The winning Powerball numbers drawn on September 21st were 1, 9, 22, 36, and 68, with Powerball number 22.