Lerynne West – One Of The Biggest US Powerball Winners

Have you ever lost your lottery ticket? That’s what happened to Lerynne West when she played the US Powerball in October 2018. When she discovered she had won the jackpot Lerynne had no idea where she placed her ticket! 

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Luckily Lerynne found her lottery ticket after some time and she became one of two winners to win the US Powerball jackpot. If you’d like to know more about this famous Iowa lottery winner then you’ll find everything you need to know in my article below. You’ll find information about West’s life before the lottery win as well as what her strategy was and where she is today.

Lerynne West – Life Before the Win

Lerynne West was born and raised in a working-class family in Iowa. Her mother was a stay-at-home mom and her father was a Vietnamese veteran and a welder. When Lerynne was 14 years old she started working on farms to help pay for expenses and to buy school clothes.

When she was 17 she graduated from high school and earned her GED when she was 19. West stated in an interview that she started her family soon after earning her GED. She had three daughters and raised them as a single mom. She worked full time and attended night school so she could support her daughters.

If Lerynne had extra money to spare she would play the lottery. Soon, West started playing the lottery twice a week. Before her big win, Lerynne won as little as $150 from the lottery.

How Much Money Did Lerynne West Win?

Lerynne West was one of two winners to win the US Powerball jackpot in October 2018. The US Powerball calculated the jackpot at $750 million, however, they miscalculated as the estimated jackpot was $687.8 million.

The winning numbers were 8, 12, 13, 19, 27, and 4 which West and another winner from New York had. The jackpot was split between the two players and they each got $343.9 million.

Lyrenne decided to take the lump sum option and after her taxes, she walked away with $138.67 million.

Lerynne West Winning Numbers & Strategy

West didn’t particularly have a strategy. However, she stated in an interview that she used to buy lottery tickets twice a week when she had the money. Lerynne bought her winning lottery ticket at a Casey’s General Store where she bought pizza and coffee.

She got into her sister’s truck and set her lottery tickets down next to her purse. Or so she thought. Lerynne landed up leaving her lottery tickets on the floor of the truck and completely forgot about them.

The Reaction of Winning the Jackpot

The news announced that two people from New York and Iowa won the jackpot. When a friend contacted Lerynne to find out if she had won she hadn’t had a chance to check. She soon realized that she didn’t have her lottery ticket.

She quickly phoned her sister who fortunately found the lottery ticket on the floor of her truck. West’s sister took a picture of the ticket and sent it to her. She checked the lottery’s website and realized she was one of the jackpot winners. 

West told her sister to bring the lottery ticket to her house as soon as possible. In her press conference after winning her jackpot, Lerynne stated that she knew she had a responsibility to uphold. She wanted to do good with the money that she won. She also said that winning the lottery completely changed her life.

What Did Lerynne West Do with the Money?

According to a CNN article, West stated she wanted to buy a new car with her winnings. Her Ford Fiesta had run its course and she wanted a car big enough to accommodate her six grandchildren. She also stated that she wanted to put money aside so her grandchildren could go to college when they grow up.

Lerynne stayed true to her word and used some of the money to establish the Callum Foundation. The foundation is named after her grandson that sadly passed away one day after being born. She stated that the organization would give grants in Iowa for education, poverty, and hunger.

Where is Lerynne West Now?

After winning, Lerynne appeared on the Ellen Degeneres Show where she revealed she would be donating $500,000 to the Travis Mills Foundation which is an organization that helps wounded warriors.

Since winning, Lerynne has continued to do good for her community. However, there is no news on where she’s currently staying or what she’s been up to recently.

Lerynne West Social Media Accounts

Lerynne West doesn’t have any social media accounts. But there have been plenty of fake Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter accounts created claiming to be Lerynne. These accounts state that she’s giving away part of her fortune. This is simply not true. Any social media accounts claiming to be Lerynne West are fake.

What Lerynne West Could Have Done Better?

Most experts would advise lottery winners to stay anonymous for as long as possible. However, some lottery companies don’t allow people to claim prizes anonymously. Lerynne West did a press conference after her win and she also became well known after appearing on The Ellen Degeneres Show.

She seems to be doing exceptionally well and handling her finances with care. She’s also helping organizations by donating money to them. The only thing she should have done better was to hold on to her lottery ticket after she bought it. If her winning ticket disappeared she could have lost her chance to claim her winnings. So the moral is to hold on to your lottery ticket! It could be worth millions.

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Final Thoughts

Lerynne West won the lottery out of pure luck. The odds of winning the US Powerball is 1 in 292.2 million so the fact that she won the jackpot without using a strategy is extraordinary. It’s happened plenty of times with other winners too. There have been jackpot winners who simply had the winning numbers without trying.

However, there are lottery strategies that you can use to try and win the jackpot. You can try what Lerynne West did and buy tickets every week. No matter what method you choose, make sure you play the lottery responsibly and always keep your lottery tickets safe until after the draw.