Keeping dad's legacy alive delivers more than good memories

By Kate Northrop

A UK man was astonished to rediscover a booklet previously owned by his late father that contained the lucky set of numbers he'd always play in the lottery, and the outcome was nothing short of unbelievable.

A lucky set of numbers left behind in a booklet by a UK man's late father helped him win a £1 million (US$1.3 million) Lotto prize.

The UK National Lottery announced on Monday that Sean Hayes, 56, of Witney, has claimed his £1 million Lotto prize, and his story is nothing short of touching.

In 2010, Sean lost his father James. When he was sorting through his belongings, he discovered a copy of the lottery numbers James had used to play in the Lotto draw every week.

Sean decided to play his father's numbers to keep his memory alive.

"My dad had a little booklet which he wrote his Lotto numbers in," he told the Lottery. "I lost it for a while but found it again and decided to start playing the numbers. That's how I won."

On Jan. 3, the Lotto game drew the winning numbers 6, 20, 34, 38, 47, and 48, with bonus ball 4. His ticket matched five out of six regular ball numbers plus the bonus ball to win the game's £1 million prize.

"To think that my dad chose these numbers all those years ago is just unbelievable, and it's a really nice connection to his memory," Sean reminisced.

Sean said that the booklet containing the numbers had actually gone missing for several years after his father passed away, but he continued putting them to use around the holidays last year when he came across it again.

He found out about the win when he was at a bar with his wife, Sara, and it involved fumbling around with his phone for a few frazzled minutes to try and find reception to confirm it was real.

"I was on a date night with Sara when I decided to go on the National Lottery app to put a ticket on," he recalled in a press release. "It was at that point I saw I had won a Lotto prize, and it was £1 million. I was in total shock! I had to call the National Lottery to confirm that I had won, but the phone signal was terrible, so I was moving about trying to get a signal so they could hear me. When I eventually managed to confirm I had won £1 million, it was unbelievable; a moment I will never forget! We had a few extra drinks to celebrate that night."

As a gardener, he's excited to use the winnings to buy a house with a garden. He also plans on upgrading his car and taking Sara on a couple vacations.

"Being able to buy our own house after years of renting is going to be so great, and we would love somewhere with a garden," he explained. "I have an allotment and enjoy spending time there, but it would be ideal to have some green space at home too."

"I'm so grateful to my dad to have chosen these numbers," Sean said. "The money is going to make a real difference to our lives."

(Click to display full-size in gallery)Sean Hayes said he doesn't want to give up working, which seems like a smart move.