Mount Pearl couple Set for Life but will keep on working
George and Karen Hickey collected their jackpot winnings on Wednesday
George and Karen Hickey are the second Mount Pearl couple in the last six weeks to win the Set for Life jackpot.
"We hit the floor and the ceiling," said Karen, describing her reaction after realized they had won.
"We did a happy dance and we cried and we laughed and I ran out into the shed and told my son, with no shoes on and no coat on."
The Hickeys bought their winning scratch ticket Feb. 7 at the Needs Convenience store on First Street.
The Hickeys have decided to take a lump sum of $675,000 instead of $1,000 a week for 25 years.
The first order of business is to pay off their home.
"As soon as we won the money, I said 'that mortgage is gone,'" said Karen.
Not ready to retire
Married for about four years, the Hickeys have six children between them and are planning a special family holiday, likely at Christmas.
"We usually travel three, four times a year," George said. "I guess a cruise is in our future — for everybody."
He will continue working. The company he's employed with is building the concrete base for the White Rose oil production platform in Argentia — a three-year project.
Karen will stay on the job too, at a home construction company the family runs.
"We've always been active, always enjoyed working. We're not ready to give everything up and move away or anything," she said.
In the meantime, they will continue to buy lottery tickets.
Their luck is part of a Newfoundland and Labrador winning streak that began in 2017, when five of 11 Set for Life winners were from this province.