74-year-old veteran was happy with $35 Idaho Lottery win. Then he checked last ticket

CALDWELL (Idaho Statesman) — As he scratched off the last of his 10 weekly Idaho Lottery tickets, Walless Thompson had cause to be cheerful: An earlier $35 win had already covered the cost of his tickets.

“Once I saw that matching number, I just couldn’t believe my eyes,” Thompson said, according to an Idaho Lottery news release on June 21. He’d won $50,000.

Thompson, a 74-year-old Vietnam veteran, told lottery officials he plans to pay off some bills and save the rest of his winnings to buy a more reliable vehicle once he retires.

He’s owned a small business that assists moving companies for the past 25 years, the lottery said.

Thompson, who previously won $5,000 on a scratch ticket, said his latest jackpot fell on Father’s Day, which has been a difficult holiday for him in recent years.

“Since my wife passed, these holidays and other things have been hard without her,” Thompson said. He said he hadn’t told anyone about the jackpot yet.

“She would’ve been the first person I called,” he said.

Thompson buys Idaho Lottery scratch tickets in Caldwell about once a week to play at home with his 10-year-old cat, named Cat.

“Cat was happy for me!” Thompson said. “The next day, she was trying to play with me while I was pulling weeds. Cat is always there when I need her.”

Caldwell is a community about 30 miles west of Boise.