A DAUGHTER has told how her dad scooped part of a £7.9million lottery jackpot – but tragically died before finding out he’d won the huge prize.
Now mum-of-three Lisa Thomas believes it is one last present from her dad, Andrew Gillion, who had told her: “You won’t be laughing when I win.”
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Andrew fell down the stairs and broke his neck at a friend’s house on New Years Eve.
He died days later during an operation to take pressure off the break.
Lisa, 32, had been grieving the sudden death of the 59-year-old when a golden envelope arrived at her dad’s house in North Lanarkshire, Scotland.
She discovered he, along with everyone else on Shaw Crescent, Wishaw, had won a £7.9million Postcode Lottery jackpot – with his share a whopping £8,092.
Lisa told The Daily Record: “When I got it confirmed, I felt absolutely devastated at first.
“I could just hear the excited phone call from him telling me he had won and I know his first thought would be to book us all a holiday.
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“Now I still feel sad that he’s not here to enjoy this with us, but I also feel some excitement for him and I’m sure he has had something to do with this.
“There’s been so many ‘signs’ since he left us and I’m certain he is watching saying ‘I told you so’.”
Lisa remembers teasing her dad last Christmas because the first card he received for the holidays was from the Postcode Lottery.
She explained: “I was laughing at him for his first Christmas card being from them.
“All I remember him saying is, ‘well you won’t be laughing when I win!’ and he was right I wasn’t laughing, I was crying.”
The family have now collected their beloved father’s winnings.
She said: “We’re all delighted.
“We haven’t really spoken about what we’re exactly going to do with all the money yet, but probably a holiday to Florida.
“That’s where we got married and I have loads of amazing memories there with my dad.
“I’ve been five times and never without my dad being there so it will be a a sore one, but I know that’s where he would want to go.”
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