Nebraska Man Wakes Up Family to Confirm $1 Million Powerball Win
Sunday March 10th 2019Zach Norenberg was so excited to win a $1 million Powerball prize that he woke up his wife, parents and in-laws to confirm his winning numbers.
Mr. Norenberg, of Fremont, Nebraska, won $1,000,000 in the March 6, 2019 Powerball drawing. He recently came forward to Nebraska Lottery headquarters in Lincoln to claim his prize.
Mr. Norenberg bought three plays on his ticket, one of which was a Match 5 winner. That means it matched the five white balls drawn, but not the red Powerball. The white balls in the March 6 draw were 06, 10, 21, 35 and 68, plus Powerball 23.
He bought his winning ticket at the local Hy-Vee Gas station at 828 East 23rd Street in Fremont. He stopped to fill up his truck while on his way to drop off his daughter before heading to work.
Noticing that the jackpot was an eye-catching $381 million, he purchased a few tickets on the spur of the moment. Like many lottery players, he chose his numbers based on family members’ birthdays.
While watching KETV Channel 7 news that night, he saw that the numbers drawn looked familiar and excitedly rushed to check his ticket. When he discovered he’d matched five numbers, he woke up his wife Shelby and asked her to double-check what he was seeing. Shelby confirmed that the ticket did match five of the winning numbers.
At that point, “I called and woke my parents,” said Mr. Norenberg. “I said, ‘Dad, I just won $1 million.’”
“His dad was like, ‘No way,’” Shelby added. The Norenbergs then called Shelby's parents to share the good news.
The day after winning, Mr. Norenberg made an appointment with their financial advisor. The Norenbergs plan to pay off their student loans and mortgage. They are also happy to have the extra financial help for their expanding family - their 14-month-old daughter and a new baby who’s on the way.
“We’re hoping to live debt free and maybe retire early,” he said.
The Norenbergs were driving to Des Moines, Iowa for Zach’s brother’s wedding immediately after claiming their prize in Lincoln.
And another win was definitely on their minds. “I already bought one for the next drawing,” Zach said.
“I think I’m going to get one too when we get to Des Moines,” Shelby said.
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