THUNDER BAY – When Larry Loiselle took a call on Canada Day morning, he’d kind of forgotten he’d bought a ticket for the Fort William Rotary House Lottery.
Or, at the very least, forgot that Tuesday was the draw date.
His memory came back pretty quickly.
Loiselle and his wife, Jolene, learned they were the winners of this year’s draw, the proud new owners of a $702,047 home in the Parkdale subdivision on Thunder Bay’s south side.
“I was kind of shocked when she said it’s Cindy from Fort William House Lottery,” Larry said. “I went, Fort William House Lottery? Oh, it’s 11 o’clock on July 1st. Then she asked if my wife was close by, so I ran and I got her.”
Jolene wasn’t sure what to make of her husband calling her to the phone. She was focused on finishing up her vacuuming, getting ready for Canada Day celebrations later in the afternoon.
“She didn’t believe me,” Larry said.
“I told Cindy it better not be a sick joke, because I do know her. But obviously, it’s not,” Jolene said, standing in the living room of the two-level home.
“It’s shock and disbelief. I keep thinking I’m going to wake up or something.”
The couple don’t plan on moving in, however.
Instead, they’ll put the house on the market and use the money to help fund retirement.
“Slate River is our home. We’ve been there for 36 years,” Jolene said.
She’s already earmarked a chunk of the sale money for something she’s been wanting to pull the trigger on for some time.
“I’m getting a new car,” she said, the room erupting in laughter from the Rotarians who gathered to celebrate the couple’s win.
“Actually, I’m getting a Toyota 4-runner, but the loaded one.”
Her husband said their good fortune will make a great nest egg.
“It’s going to make a huge difference for our retirement, for sure. More travel,” Larry said.
Cindy Levanto, the chair of the Fort William House Lottery, said making the phone call for a second time is a pretty cool experience.
“Quite honestly, this one is really special, because I know both Jolene and Larry, so it was very nice to be able to make that call. Knowing Jolene, I figured she’d think I was joking around with her, which she did, but I would never, every really do that. It’s nice to see another local couple win the home.”
In the 39 years the draw has been held, Fort William Rotary has raised nearly $9 million for local charities, including the George Jeffrey Children’s Foundation, the Boys and Girls Club, the Thunder Bay Regional Health Sciences Foundation, Air Cadets and Our Kids Count.
Of the 20,000 tickets available this year, 19,323 were sold.
