‘You never know what’s around the corner’: Gastonia man’s last-minute decision makes him millions

GASTONIA, N.C. — A Gastonia man is counting his blessings, as well as a million dollars.

Ronnie Woods, 66, made a life-changing last-minute decision to buy a $10 scratch-off and ended up winning $1 million.

“I was going to walk out the door, but something told me to just go ahead and get it,” Woods said.

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Woods, a former member of the Navy and Marine Corps, bought his ticket from Save Mart on Union Road in Gastonia. Following the win, Woods called his son who thought he was joking until his father sent him a picture of the winning ticket.

“I asked him, ‘What would you say if I told you I won a million dollars?’” Woods recalled. “He said, ‘That’s a good joke.’ So I took a picture and sent it to him.”

Woods went to lottery headquarters on Tuesday and chose the lump sum of $600,000; after required taxes for federal and state Woods took home $427,503.

“You never know what’s around the corner,” Woods said. “I just want to live in peace and enjoy life.”

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