Waseca couple claims $180 million Powerball jackpot

By CHAO XIONG, Star Tribune

Last update: May 6, 2008 - 11:42 PM

Paul Rosenau could hear the last few Powerball numbers being announced on Saturday night's newscast as he descended the stairs of his rural Waseca home, lottery ticket in hand.

"Oh, gosh," he exclaimed, thinking the ticket he bought at a Hy-Vee Gas station in Faribault might have beat the one in 146,107,962 odds and matched all six numbers.

"[My wife, Sue,] said, 'Oh, yeah right,' because I've done that before to get a rise out of her," Rosenau recounted Tuesday afternoon. "I said, 'No, I think we won.' "

They patiently waited for the numbers to be rebroadcast, but to no avail. It wasn't until they drove to Sue's workplace Sunday and checked the numbers online that they found out they'd won $180 million, the largest Powerball prize ever snagged in Minnesota.

"We didn't really sleep that night," Paul Rosenau said as the couple, both 54, came forward to claim their prize. "We still didn't believe it at that point."

By Monday morning it was all starting to sink to in, but Paul had to check the numbers again -- 2, 28, 36, 42, 46 and Powerball 40 -- have some toast and then check them again.

"It's bigger than you can grasp," said Sue Rosenau.

The couple have decided to take the $88 million lump sum, which comes out to $59.6 million after taxes, instead of $180.1 million paid over 30 years. Their close friend and accountant, Dale Deraad, said the lump sum will better help them plan for the future.

Their immediate future already reflects the change in their lives -- they arrived at lottery headquarters in Roseville with a bodyguard in tow and have retreated into seclusion until the buzz around their winnings dies down. They've also obtained an unlisted phone number.

Values beyond money

Teary-eyed and soft-spoken, the Rosenaus said they plan to stay in Waseca, where they have lived for 22 years and raised their three children, now grown. They also plan to keep their jobs; he is a heavy equipment operator for BCM Grading and Excavating Co. in Faribault and she is a project and communications assistant for the Agricultural Utilization Research Institute in Waseca.

"We realize that money probably isn't as important as friendship and helping others," Paul Rosenau said as he recalled how others supported them through the death of their first granddaughter, Makayla, 2.

The Rosenaus hit the jackpot five years to the day Makayla died of Krabbe disease, a rare and often fatal genetic disease that can cause seizures and delayed mental and motor development. They've worked to make the treatable but incurable disease a routine part of health screening for newborns, and said they will likely contribute to that cause with their winnings.

"I guess there was divine intervention," said Paul Rosenau, an occasional lottery player whose winning numbers were computer-generated. "This happened for a reason."

The couple also have a week-old granddaughter.

They haven't made concrete plans for spending the rest of their winnings, although Sue's longtime wishes -- a trip to Hawaii and a new house -- are possibilities. They are the 20th Powerball jackpot winner in the state since the game began in 1992.

"They're very wonderful people," Deraad said, "and they're going to do great things."

Staff writer Tim Harlow contributed to this report. Chao Xiong • 612-673-4391