The 58 year old from Knoxville, Mr Cockrum, claimed his Powerball lottery win on Thursday, matching all six winning Powerball numbers drawn on the 11th June.

Mr Cockrum, took the cash option prize, which is a staggering $115,147,525.50 after taxes.

Powerball jackpot winner Mr Cockrum claiming his prize

While taking his mom to a medical appointment, he double checked his Powerball numbers and saw that he had matched three numbers and the Powerball and thought, “Wow! $500! You never win that much on Powerball.’ I felt really lucky.  But then wait a minute, wait a minute — there’s another number, and finally I realized I hit the jackpot. It literally knocked me to my knees.  My prayer was simple — ‘Lord have Mercy!’ But life goes on, so I picked myself up, put the winning ticket in my wallet and went to pick up my mother. I walked around University of Tennessee Medical Centre all that morning with a $259.8 million winner in my pocket.”

Mr Cockrum was born in Knoxville, and after graduating from West High School and earning an acting degree from Northwestern University, he pursued his passion and found a career in the theatre.

For the following 20 years, Mr Cockrum worked as an actor and stage manager for theatre and television.  He then experienced the calling to a religious service with the The Society of Saint John the Evangelist, an Episcopal religious community in Cambridge, Mass – where he took a “Vow of Poverty”. 

He was quoted as saying, “I really believe the best way to prepare for this tsunami of cash has been to live under a vow of poverty for a number of years,” Cockrum said. “It gives great perspective.”

Lottery prize plans

Mr Cockrum plans to follow his father’s rule about money, which is Tithe a tenth, save a tenth and spend the rest wisely. We have to agree, that this money management strategy is a good one.  Mr Cockrum has also received financial advice and will therefore be setting aside enough savings to create a pension fund, thereafter, he plans to give back to his passion – the theatre, by supporting performing arts organisations around the country. He’s extremely excited about the prospect.  The rest of the lotto win will go to a long list of charities, which include a a number of religious organisations and local charities.

From the moment he won

Ever since Mr Cockrum realised that he had won the Powerball jackpot, he reflected on how interesting it was going around Knoxville while he prepared to receive his lottery prize on the 3rd July.  Everywhere he went, people where talking about the Powerball winner, not knowing that I was standing right in front of them. Some said they thought the latest Powerball lottery winner was a UPS guy, while a lady said she knew for certain that the winner was a young woman with a baby that bought the winning ticket.  Mr Cockrum, with a smile, “I do not work for UPS, and I am not a young woman with a baby. By the way, Publishers Clearing House Prize Patrol came to my house many years ago with the balloons and the champagne. The size of the prize wasn’t as life changing as this one, but I have no doubt that I am one of the luckiest people in the world. I am so grateful. I am so blessed. I have received great counsel, and I will continue working very hard to make sure every single penny of this prize is a blessing to anyone it touches.”

It just goes to show - the power to win the lottery is in your hands.  With this Wednesday's USA Powerball jackpot standing at an incredible $122,000,000 - the only question that remains is, what are you going to do?

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