Winner is Nassau County’s 8th Lottery Millionaire of 2009 and the 1st from Westbury This Year

November 10, 2009-Life is a cake walk for retired Rikers Island Correction Officer turned Lottery millionaire Norris Henry of Westbury, Nassau County. Henry was the sole winner of a $6,000,000 Lotto jackpot drawn on October 14, 2009. The 76-year-old father of two who friends like to call “preacher,” said he wasn’t prepared for his new millionaire status.

“I went to the Lottery thinking I had a second-prize-winning ticket. I had no idea I won the jackpot,” he said. “I thought I had five numbers, not six. I was expecting a nice prize, but not $6,000,000.”  The second prize for the October 14th drawing paid $39,638 to one winner from Olean, Cattaraugus County. 

Henry said he’s been a loyal Lotto player for more than 25 years; usually playing numbers supplied by his wife of 36 years, Eleanor. “Sometimes the numbers come to her in her dreams and she passes them on to me. Sometimes they work, and sometimes they don’t.”

Henry said getting the news about his $6,000,000 win was “like getting the best piece of cake in the world. There’s nothing else like it. It’s just a wonderful feeling.”

Henry worked for the New York City Correction Department for 30 years before retiring in 2000. “In that time, I enjoyed giving encouragement to people. Now,” he continued, “I’m going to enjoy sitting on a sunny beach somewhere and sitting in my new home in front of my new TV.”

The winning numbers for the October 14, 2009 Lotto drawing were 10-14-25-34-41-45.

Henry purchased his $6,000,000 winning ticket at the Noble Card & Smoke on North Wellwood Ave. in Lindenhurst. He claimed his ticket the following day at the Lottery’s Customer Service Center in Garden City.

At the time of his purchase, Henry opted to receive the $6,000,000 jackpot as a lump sum. He will receive his prize as a one-time cash payment totaling $3,342,652, before required tax withholdings. His net check will total $2,207,153.

Henry is the 8th Nassau County Lottery player to win or share a jackpot prize valued at $1,000,000 in 2009. Other recent Nassau County Lottery millionaires include:

• Janet Alnwick of Merrick who won a $22,000,000 Mega Millions jackpot in January
• Barbara Romanik and Christina Dilello of Hicksville who split a $1,000,000 prize on the Green & Gold instant game in March
• Sandeep Sharma of Syosset who won $1,000,000 on the Monopoly instant game in March
• Carol Adams of Great Neck who won at least $1,000,000 on the Win $1,000 A Week For Life instant game in June
• Mustafa Kirlak of Freeport who won $1,000,000 on the $500,000,000 Extravaganza ticket in June
• Carl Williams of Uniondale who won $1,000,000 on the Cosmic Cash  instant game in July
• Marcia Smith of Elmont won $1,000,000 on the Super 9s instant game in September
• Michael Sanchez of Hicksville who won $1,000,000 on the Sweet Million game in October

The New York Lottery continues to be North America’s largest and most profitable Lottery, earning more than $36.7 billion in education support statewide since its founding over 40 years ago.  The Lottery contributed nearly $2.54 billion in fiscal year 2008-09 to help support education in New York State, which was over 12 percent of total state education funding to local school districts.  The Lottery’s ongoing commitment to education also includes the awarding of more than 1,100 Leaders of Tomorrow (LOT) Scholarships annually to high school students pursuing their higher education in New York State.  Since 1999, the Lottery has awarded more than 11,500 scholarships representing a total commitment of almost $50 million.