NEIA Grandma Accelerates Retirement with $2 Million Lottery Prize

A Northeast Iowa woman says she’s on “cloud nine” after winning a $2 million lottery prize, prompting her to move up her retirement plans.

When she claimed her prize last Friday (06.12) at the Iowa Lottery’s main office in Clive, Debra Bickle of Waterloo told lottery officials, “December 25th was supposed to be my last day to work, but as soon as I realized I had this kind of money, I figured I can do it now.”

The 69-year-old Bickle matched the first five numbers in the Mega Millions drawing on June 5th to win a $2 million prize. Her ticket was just one number away from winning that night’s $368 million jackpot, missing only the Mega Ball.

She bought her winning ticket from the self-service kiosk at Walmart at1334 Flammang Drive in Waterloo, but didn’t check her ticket until a couple of days after the drawing. When she scanned the ticket with the Iowa Lottery mobile app, she wasn’t prepared for what appeared on her screen.

Once the reality of her big win set in, Bickle hid the lucky ticket in her purse and hid the purse in her home. But any hope of a restful night quickly disappeared.

She said, “I was up all night. I couldn’t sleep. I didn’t let anybody know until the next day. I was pacing up and down, trying to figure out what I should do next. I was just getting acclimated to the fact that I had won it. It was mind-blowing.”

Bickle, who worked for a computer software company for 26 years, said the chance to help her family is even more meaningful than the win itself. A mother of two and grandmother of five, she plans to share the winnings with her loved ones, including paying for her grandchildren’s schooling.

For herself, Bickle plans a pair of practical home upgrades: a kitchen remodel and new windows.