Winner Of Huge Lottery Lives Just 15 Days

An 80-year-old woman who won $15 million in the lottery lived just 15 more days - never taking the cruise she had always dreamed of.

Florence Jorolemon’s health had been in decline for nearly a decade when she landed the jackpot Jan. 7. She was hospitalized earlier this week and died Thursday.

Jorolemon told reporters last week that her only plan for the money was to take a cruise “anywhere I want.” Relatives had hoped she might find first-grade medical care - her speech was severely limited, she suffered from an intestinal disease and used a wheelchair to get around.

Jorolemon, who lived in the suburb of Greece, bought her winning ticket at a supermarket. Store employees remembered her as a warm, smiling regular who picked up about $10 in lottery tickets every week for years.

“To know that this woman didn’t have an opportunity to take her cruise is just very sad,” manager Bruce King said.

“A lot of the people at the store were very upset.”

Instead of annual payments, Jorolemon opted for a lump-sum payment of $7.4 million, which came to $4.8 million after taxes. The money went to her estate.