TALLAHASSEE, Fla. (AP) - When Gloria C. MacKenzie went to a Publix supermarket near Tampa last month to buy a Powerball ticket, another person in line did something nice for the 84-year-old widow and let her go first.
The kind gesture turned out to be a life-changing one for MacKenzie and her family. She came forward Wednesday to claim the biggest undivided lottery jackpot in history, $590 million.
MacKenzie is a retiree from Maine and a mother of four who lives in Zephyrhills, where the lone winning ticket in the May 18 drawing was sold. She took her prize in a lump sum of just over $370 million. After federal taxes, she's getting about $278 million.
In a statement, she said she appreciated the fellow lottery player's gesture and asked for privacy.
