His father dies and wins a $100,000 lottery prize days later: “I thought maybe it was a blessing from him.”

Sometimes, luck is unpredictable and comes when we need it most. That was the case for Thomas O’Hollearn, an Iowa resident who won $100,000 in the Powerball lottery just days after his father’s passing.

“My father just passed away,” O’Hollearn told Clive Lottery officials when claiming his prize last week. “I thought maybe it was a blessing from him. It was a blessing from my father.”

The Winner’s Joy

O’Hollearn, a Johnston native, purchased the winning ticket at a Hy-Vee supermarket and was stunned by his unexpected prize—especially following the tragic loss of his father. He was just one number away from winning the $417.9 million jackpot. After realizing he had won, he immediately shared the news with his family.

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“I couldn’t believe it. I was thrilled,” he said. “I immediately called my mother, my brother, and my son. We were all excited,” he told People. As for his plans for the money, O’Hollearn intends to invest it, calling the win a “dream come true.” “I thought I’d win $3 here or $15 there, but I never imagined I’d take home this much money,” he explained.

Since O’Hollearn’s win, no one has claimed the Powerball jackpot, which has now grown to $461 million. The odds of winning Powerball are 1 in 292,201,338. The lottery is played in 45 states, Washington, D.C., Puerto Rico, and the U.S. Virgin Islands.