Jasper County woman wins $100,000 lottery prize

A Jasper County woman who won a $100,000 lottery prize said she was at a loss for words.

“Honestly, I don’t know how to feel,” Michele “Mickey” Spieker said with a laugh as she claimed her prize at lottery headquarters in Clive. “I’ve never had anything like that in my whole life.”

Spieker, 62, of Baxter, won the first top prize in the Iowa Lottery’s “When It’s Gold Outside” scratch game. She bought her ticket at Hy-Vee, 1501 First Ave. E. in Newton after her shift at the store ended.

“I just had had a really busy day at work,” she said. “I just thought, ‘Wow, that’s a really pretty lottery ticket. I’m just going to take it. Give me that one!’”

As soon as she uncovered the big prize, she rushed back to the store to confirm her win. She kept the ticket in a safe until she could visit the lottery’s headquarters to claim her prize.

“I was just in disbelief,” she said. “I’m going to retire soon. I thought, ‘Man, this really put a nice cushion into that.’”

Besides putting some winnings aside for retirement, Spieker said she and her husband, Scott, are planning a trip to Ireland.

When It’s Gold Outside is a $10 scratch game with a holiday theme. It features seven top prizes of $100,000 and overall odds of 1 in 2.86. For more information about this game and the number of prizes still available, visit ialottery.com.