OJAI : Great-Grandmother Spins a $50,000 Win

A 78-year-old great-grandmother from Ojai won $50,000 Saturday in the California State Lottery’s Big Spin game in Sacramento. But El Nora (Tootie) Smith’s joy was tempered by sorrow.

“I was absolutely ecstatic,” Smith said in a telephone interview minutes after spinning the wheel. But she said she was eager to return home because her husband, Robert, is seriously ill and remained at home in the care of a nurse.

“Winning the money is wonderful,” Smith said, “but I’ve been married 56 years and would give anything to have things different.”

Smith’s son, Jim, who accompanied his mother to Sacramento, requested that well-wishers refrain from contacting the family. “My father is very ill and the family cannot be disturbed,” he said.

Smith said her winnings will help defray medical expenses the couple have incurred in the past year. Jim Smith said that winning was very exciting for his mother. “She plans to buy a washer and dryer for the mobile home,” he added.

Alice and Les Gardner own the Attitude Adjustment Shop, an Ojai liquor store where Smith bought her ticket. Alice Gardner was delighted to hear of her customer’s good luck. Ironically, the Gardners were able to buy the store after Alice won $10,000 in the Big Spin in 1986.

“Mrs. Smith is a sweetheart,” Alice Gardner said. “She comes in every week and buys a certain amount of tickets. She said her husband was ill, so this win is a bright spot in her life.”