A Quad Cities couple got a big surprise over the holiday weekend. Esteban and Linda Ramos of East Moline, Illinois claimed a $1-million Powerball prize today at Iowa Lottery headquarters in Des Moines. Esteban handed the winning ticket to his wife as she was preparing Thanksgiving dinner.
“I looked down at the ticket and realized we had the (winning) numbers. At first I thought I was seeing things. I just felt really dizzy, the room was spinning and I fell over backyards,” Linda Ramos said. “I couldn’t stop crying. I was just flabbergasted. I couldn’t believe it.”
The couple’s winning ticket for the November 19 drawing was purchased at a convenience store in Bettendorf. Fifty-four-year-old Esteban Ramos immigrated to the U.S. in 1978 and became an American citizen in 1990. He works as a machine operator at Production Cutting Services in East Moline. Linda, 47, works as a dispatcher for a school bus company.
After taxes, the couple is collecting $700,000. “A million dollars seems like a lot of money, but after taxes…we’re just going to live comfortable,” Linda said. “We don’t have any children. Our life is going to be a little bit easier now.”
The couple plans to pay bills, plan for retirement, help their families and make some donations to charities they already support. The Ramos’ ticket is the ninth lottery prize of at least $1 million won in Iowa this year.