Human Interest Real People Real People Friendships Retired Teacher and Daughter Win Big Kentucky Lottery Prizes 3 Months Apart: ‘I Was Numb’ “She was probably more tickled than me,” teacher William Fannin said of his daughter's reaction to his lottery win By Charna Flam Charna Flam Charna Flam is a writer-reporter at PEOPLE. She has been working at PEOPLE since 2023. Her work has previously appeared on Variety, The New York Post, and The Wrap. People Editorial Guidelines Updated on May 30, 2024 08:40PM EDT William Fannin; Starla Fannin. Photo: Kentucky Lottery One Kentucky father and daughter have unfathomable luck. William Fannin, a retired teacher from Hazard, Ky., scored a $50,000 prize after purchasing a Powerball ticket on May 13 at Zip Zone on East Main Street in Hazard. For the past 25 years, Fannin has purchased a Powerball ticket every week at the same store, but on May 13, he decided to stop at Zip Zone instead. Fannin explained to Kentucky Lottery that when he went to scan the ticket, he was “numb" when the number “came up $50,000.” He quickly left the store and headed straight home to tell his wife, Frieda. "I told her, ‘Sit down,’” William shared. “ ‘Are you OK, what’s wrong,’ she asked." He then matter of factly told her, “ ‘That winning ticket was ours, it belonged to us.’ ” “And then we cried, both of us,” Frieda told Kentucky Lottery. The PEOPLE Puzzler crossword is here! How quickly can you solve it? Play now! William Fannin. Kentucky Lottery His win came as a surprise since his family already had luck with the lottery earlier this year. Three months earlier, William's daughter Starla also scored her own lottery prize. In February, she won a $150,438.47 prize after playing the Merry Money Bonus Jackpot Instant Play game online. Mom and Son Win $100K Lottery Prize 3 Times with Same Numbers: 'We Just Laughed and Cried and Hugged' Starla Fannin. Kentucky Lottery When Starla heard her father had won the $50,000 Powerball ticket, she wasn’t entirely sure it was him because she knew he doesn’t typically buy his tickets at the Hazard Zip Zone. “She texted her mom about it but said, ‘It wasn’t sold where dad normally buys his tickets, so it can’t be him,’ ” William told Kentucky Lottery. “She was probably more tickled than me,” William said of his daughter’s reaction to his win. “She was so excited!” Never miss a story — sign up for PEOPLE's free daily newsletter to stay up-to-date on the best of what PEOPLE has to offer, from juicy celebrity news to compelling human interest stories. William walked away with $36,000 after taxes. He shared with Kentucky Lottery that he and Frieda do not have plans for their new chunk of change at the moment, but said it will be put to good use since he retired from teaching in 2020.