John Jansen got the same reaction from just about everyone when he told them he'd won $538,665 in the Canadian Cancer Society lottery.
"Everybody that's been told said 'holy shit,'" said the 80-year-old Jansen, who took a stretch limousine filled with family to the Canadian Cancer Society office in Cambridge Wednesday from his Guelph home to pick up his winning cheque.
A celebratory Christmas dinner was planned for Wednesday night.
Jansen taught at John F. Ross CVI in Guelph for 30 years before retiring 22 years ago. He also coached lots of sports there, most notably soccer.He said he's been playing the Cancer Society's Wheels of Hope 50/50 Raffle Lottery for about six years.
Jansen said he plans on sharing the wealth with his five kids and seven grandchildren.
"I'm the head of the family, so if I win, the whole family wins," Jansen said."Everybody's going to be happy. I don't need that much at my age."
He has already made a donation to the food bank program at Holy Rosary Catholic Church where he has been a longtime member, and a sign has gone up at the Bridgeport Rod & Gun Club, where Jansen has looked after the horseshoe leagues for years, saying the drinks are on him this week.His daughter Jacquie said her dad found out he had won via a phone message
"We had to call back to the cancer society to make sure it wasn't a hoax," she said, "because you're never sure if there's somebody taking advantage of him."
Jansen said he doesn't have any plans that weren't already in the making.
"I'm going to be the same old JJ," he said. "I'm going to share it with a lot of people."
