Gregory Errthum, 53, had a feeling the same special numbers he’s played for thirty-two years were about to pay off.

“My lucky numbers of 11 and 21 kept hitting,” said Errthum of Lincoln County. “I knew I was going to hit it soon. I just knew it.”

And on Saturday, that feeling turned out to be right.

“When I got to the store, they told me that I had won,” said Errthum. “I asked them how much, and they said, ‘You have to go to Raleigh,’ so I called my son to figure it out for me!”

His son, Wesley, didn’t think anything of the call at first.

“He’s been telling me my whole life that one day he was going to hit it big,” said Wesley. “I thought it was silly.”

But when Wesley started checking the numbers, he couldn’t believe his dad’s prediction had come true.

“My eyes just got bigger and bigger,” said Wesley. “I said, ‘Dad, you just won $150,000!’”

Errthum bought the winning $3 Power Play ticket at the Buffalo Shoals Hardware & Supermarket on Buffalo Shoals Road in Newton. The numbers matched four white balls and the Powerball to win $50,000. The prize tripled when the 3X multiplier was drawn for Power Play tickets.

“My dream is to live life a little more comfortably,” said Errthum upon being presented with his big check. “I’ve been working long days my whole life, taking care of two children, three stepchildren, and grandchildren. It feels good to finally win some zeros.”

Errthum, who has worked for 22 years in the paper industry, claimed his prize Thursday at lottery headquarters in Raleigh. After required state and federal tax withholdings, he took home $104,252.

The jackpot for Saturday’s drawing has reached $184 million with an estimated lump sum of $112.7 million.

Ticket sales from games like Powerball made it possible for the lottery to raise more than $634 million for the state last year. For details on how lottery funds have made a difference in Lincoln County, click on the “For Education” section of the lottery’s website.