Iowa woman wins lottery 22 years after tornado destroys home: ‘Never been material people’

An Iowa woman who says she lost her home in a tornado 22 years ago is planning to upgrade her current living situation after winning the lottery. 

Tammy Gordy, 56, a hospital dietary aide from Ottumwa, Iowa, chanced her luck with the Powerball, and she won $2 million, according to a press release issued by the Iowa Lottery Authority. 

Gordy collected her prize from the Iowa Lottery headquarters in the City of Clive on Monday, June 26, according to the lottery board.

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The hospital worker told the Iowa Lottery she and her husband, Steve, used to live in Agency, Iowa, but their home was destroyed by a tornado that passed through Wapello County in April 2001.

Tammy Gordy, 56, of Ottumwa, Iowa, collected her $2 million Powerball prize from the Iowa Lottery headquarters in Clive, on June 26, 2023. (Iowa Lottery Authority / Fox News)

Gordy plans to use a part of her winning to complete the new home she and her husband have been building since the tornado.

“We were in the process of building a home and it kind of got put on hold for a few years, so now this is going to speed it up,” she said, in a statement. 

The money Gordy has won will reportedly help her add amenities to her home, including a walk-in closet and a hot tub.

“We’ve never been material people, I can say that,” Gordy told the Iowa Lottery. “Family was more important to us. So, it’s going to be that way. We’re just going to be able to do more things.”

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Gordy purchased her winning Powerball ticket from the Hy-Vee Fast & Fresh convenience store on 1027 North Quincy Avenue in Ottumwa, Iowa, on Saturday, June 24, according to the state lottery board. 

Her winning numbers were 2-38-44-50-62. She also picked the number 19 as her Powerball, which made her miss the $1 million prize during the initial drawing, but she added the Power Play option to her easy-pick ticket, a move that multiplies prizes at the Match 5 level to $2 million. 

The Power Play number of the day was 3, according to the Iowa Lottery.

Gordy realized she won the Powerball a day later when she checked her ticket status on the Iowa Lottery mobile app, the lottery board’s press release said.

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“I fell into my chair,” Gordy told the Iowa Lottery. She said she couldn’t believe her eyes and screamed.

“I called my boss and told him that I needed to take Monday and Tuesday off because I won $2 million on the Powerball,” she continued.

Gordy said her boss congratulated her, and she was able to collect her prize.

In this Jan. 12, 2021 file photo, blank forms for the Powerball lottery sit in a bin at a local grocery store, in Des Moines, Iowa. (AP Photo/Charlie Neibergall / AP Newsroom)

The couple reportedly had a hard time convincing their four adult children and extended family that Gordy’s lottery win was real.

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“I am a jokester, but not to that extent,” Gordy said, in a statement.

The Hy-Vee convenience store that sold Gordy her winning lottery ticket will receive a $2,000 bonus from the Iowa Lottery.

The Powerball is an American lottery game offered in 45 states, the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands.

Powerball’s drawings are done on Mondays, Wednesdays and Saturdays.

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The Iowa Lottery’s proceeds go to support state programs, including education, human services, agriculture, parks and conservation and initiatives for veterans and law enforcement.