Retired educator hits huge Virginia lottery jackpot. She was too stunned to react

Most lottery winners could probably tell you exactly where they were, what they were wearing, and how they felt the moment they learned they had hit it big.

But that is not the case for Eunice Sample. She was too excited to remember how she reacted.

“I was so stunned I don’t know what I did!” she told Virginia lottery officials, according to a March 10 release.

Sample, a retired educator, was the winner of the top $5 million prize after buying a ticket at a local 7-Eleven.

Part of the $173 Million Extravaganza, Sample beat odds of 2,529,600 to 1 to win the top prize.

“I’m excited, happy, shocked, stunned, but I feel great!” she told lottery officials.

The Chesapeake local chose a one-time cash payout and will bring home $3,125,000 before taxes.

Chesapeake is 104 miles outside Richmond.

This story was originally published March 10, 2023 at 3:57 PM with the headline "Retired educator hits huge Virginia lottery jackpot. She was too stunned to react."

Irene Wright

McClatchy DC

Irene Wright is a McClatchy Real-Time reporter. She earned a B.A. in ecology and an M.A. in health and medical journalism from the University of Georgia and is now based in Atlanta. Irene previously worked as a business reporter at The Dallas Morning News.