Do yourself a favor, men.

Listen to your wives.

Brookhaven Powerball winner William ten Broeke, 46, just deposited the largest check of his life into his account because of a gentle nudge from his better half.

He was shopping at the Publix on Town Boulevard in Brookhaven when his wife had a life-altering question.

“Aren’t you going to get a ticket?” Heather ten Broeke, 38, asked.

Without that reminder, William ten Broeke said he would have forgotten to purchase the ticket, which turned out to be worth more than $246.7 million.

The ten Broekes, who have been married five years and have one child, claimed their prize Monday at Georgia Lottery headquarters, officials said in a news release. The couple selected the cash option, which totaled $165.6 million before taxes.

Days after the drawing, the ten Broekes saw news reports that a winning ticket purchased in Brookhaven had not been claimed. The winning numbers from the Sept. 17 drawing were 9-19-51-55-62. The Powerball was 14. The ten Broekes checked — and rechecked — the numbers on their ticket.

“We were shocked,” said William ten Broeke, a commercial credit officer. “We couldn’t believe it.”

They plan to invest their winnings, travel, help family and donate to charity.

Want more DeKalb County News? Like us on Facebook

About the Author

Keep Reading

Investigators said they believe a driver fell asleep at the wheel, left the roadway and rolled a box truck, according to the Georgia State Patrol. The driver survived.

Credit: Georgia Department of Public Safety

Featured

More metro Atlanta sellers are deciding to take their homes off the market, according to a new report. (Hyosub Shin/AJC)

Credit: HYOSUB SHIN / AJC