Georgia lottery winners span the state

By Mashaun D. Simon

The Atlanta Journal-Constitution

An Atlanta man, who has hit it big in Georgia lottery wins, is looking forward to a third win.

Brian Page, 52, won $250,000 from matching the first five winning numbers in the Oct. 9 Mega Millions drawing.

He won about $200,000 11-years-ago with a Fantasy 5 ticket.

“Lightning does strike twice,” he said. “The second time is sweeter, and the third time will be a charm.”

Page purchased his Mega Millions ticket at Amoco Food Shop on Jonesboro Road in Lake City.

Page has not been the only lucky one.

A 67-year-old great-grandmother, a Dawsonville father and the father of a HOPE scholarship recipient have all cashed in on lottery winnings in the past few weeks.

In Dawsonville, Bobby Taylor’s 6-year-old girl should expect to have a great Christmas after her father matched the first five winning numbers in the Oct. 13 Mega Millions drawing.

The 52-year-old won $250,000.

“She’s going to have a great Christmas,” said the geotechnical field engineer who purchased his ticket from the A A Food Mart in Athens.

A few days earlier, Marie Womack of Tifton won a $136,844 jackpot prize after matching all five winning numbers in the Oct. 8 Fantasy 5 drawing.

The 53-year-old purchased her winning ticket at Flash Foods, on Highway 82 West in Tifton.

“I feel wonderful,” Womack exclaimed, adding that she plans to make home improvements with her winnings.

The day before, a Carrollton grandfather won big from a Fantasy 5 jackpot prize.

Clyde McWhorter, 74, matched all five winning numbers in the Oct. 7 drawing winning $293,200.

He purchased the ticket at Bowdon Junction Quick Stop, on Highway 27 in Bowdon Junction.

Yet he did not know he had won until the following day while buying coffee at the same location.

“I feel good about it,” McWhorter said, adding that he and his wife, Linda, plan to “take it and do what we need to.”

And on the same day McWhorter purchased his ticket, Shirley Swafford, 67, was doing the same.

The Winston great-grandmother of 20 matched all five winning numbers in the Oct. 7 Fantasy 5 drawing winning a $293,200 prize.

“I watched the drawing,” she said, recalling the night she won. “I couldn’t sleep all night. I was all excited, I couldn’t believe it.”

Swafford bought her winning Quik Pik ticket at Country Corner on Bright Star Road in Douglasville.

In addition to 20 great-grandchildren, Swafford also has 20 grandchildren and six adult children with her husband, James.

She plans to “do something nice” for herself with her winnings.

“I don’t know exactly what yet, but I’m going to do something,” she said.

Last week, David Hester, 51, won $31,155 with a free ticket that matched all five winning numbers in the Oct. 22 Fantasy 5 drawing.

Hester, whose daughter is attending Georgia Northwestern Technical College with the lottery-funded HOPE Grant, won $30,000 on an instant game in 2007.

A maintenance worker and married with three children, Hester purchased his ticket at Mr. C’s, on Martha Berry Highway N.E., in Armuchee.