If John Cox, 67, isn't the wealthiest cook in Callaway, he's certainly the happiest.
The Sir Winston's employee won the grand $50,000 prize from a Bonus Word Missouri Lottery scratcher ticket he bought Nov. 7 - on his late mother's birthday, and two days after his own - at Fastlane 64 off Amerihorst Drive.
"It was two days late, but that's fine," said Cox, who said he buys the $3 tickets three or four times a week. "Those kinds of things just don't happen to me. Actually I thought I made a mistake."
The Bonus Word Crossword lottery scratcher officially began Aug. 27, and the Missouri Lottery's webiste, molottery.com, estimates that Cox is just the third of eight possible $50,000 grand prize winners.