A quick stop at Casey’s to buy gas, some breakfast pizzas and lottery tickets paid off big for Frank and Diana Hinz of Cowden.

“We were on our way back from work at Hydro-Gear in Sullivan, and stopped in. We both work second shift. We bought three lottery tickets, one for each lottery, quick picks.” said Frank.

Later, Diana was checking the lottery numbers online at the Illinois Lottery website. “She read the numbers off to me,” said Frank. “I asked her to read them again. Just to be sure, we went to another place on the website to see where the winning ticket came from. When we saw it was Casey’s of Windsor we knew it was us.”

Diana Hinz said their two sons were excited about the win, “But when our daughter found out, she almost went through the roof.”

And the roof is one of the projects the Hinz family plans to undertake. “We did have a tarpaulin on our roof for one winter. I have been doing the work myself. Now I can pay somebody to do it.”

The Hinz family waited for 12 days before telling anyone, even their three adult children, daughter Kathryn (Walker) and sons Frank (32) and Christopher (28).

Frank and Diana have used the time wisely to establish a management plan through a financial planning advisor. “We have an appointment with him after this, as a matter of fact,” said Frank.

But the couple says the money will not change them. ‘We’re just ordinary people, we buy gas where it’s the cheapest and usually bring our lunch to work. That won’t change,” said Diana.

The couple opted for a lump sum payment of $1,937.984.50--less state and federal taxes, which leaves them with about $1 million. The Windsor Casey’s will receive a selling bonus of $32,500.

“We’re taking a lump sum, so it will only be a million-- a million doesn’t go that far these days,” said Frank. Diana laughed, “Only a million?” The couple says they still intend to work as they have in the past and invest most of the winnings.

Other than fixing the roof and their 1991 Buick LeSabre, they plan to invest in college funds for grandchildren Ty and Connir. They also plan to attend the Little Theater in Sullivan a little more and buy a used PT Cruiser for Frank, who said he liked the car because, “It was the first car I could sit in (he is 6’4”) that had headroom. Also I could lay my head back and hit the headrest without throwing your head all the way back like most cars do.”

But Frank says he isn’t about to go out and buy a brand-new car. Instead, he is looking for a year-old model with low miles. “You put the key in a new vehicle, and you take a four or five-thousand dollar hit as you drive away.”