Great-great-grandmother wins $125,000 bingo jackpot

Richard Froese
For South Peace News

A great-great-grand-mother from High Prairie is the latest big winner in the provincial Satellite Bingo with the Knights of Columbus in Falher. Teresa Lalonde won $125,000 in a special Satellite Bingo on March 31 with the Knights of Columbus Bingo at the Chevaliers Community Centre. Sharing the $250,000 with one other winner, she was stunned just as much as 135 other people playing that night in Falher. “I thought I was going to have a heart attack,” says Lalonde, 78 years young. Lalonde was playing Bingo in Falher for the first time, after her daughter Geraldine Lalonde enticed her to go with her. She was faithful in playing Bingo when it was held in Donnelly until about 20 years ago. Playing Bingo for over 50 years, this is the biggest jackpot she netted, although she won $18,000 in Satellite Bingo in High Prairie about three years ago. “It sure paid off playing Bingo all these years,” says Lalonde. She has plenty of family to share the big winning with. “I get to share it with my children and family,” says Lalonde, who has been married to her husband Louis for 60 years. “I have 11 children, about 40 grandchildren, about 15 great-grandchildren, and one great-great-grandchild.” Winning this big jackpot won’t stop her from the game she loves. “I will keep playing Bingo as long as I live,” says Lalonde, who is recovering from cataract surgery. When she first called “Bingo”, the crowd went silent, says Rita Therriault, controller of Satellite Bingo for the Knights of Columbus in Falher. “It was unbelievably quiet for two seconds.” “When it was verified that she had a Bingo, the crowd went wild,” says Therriault. This is the biggest jackpot for nine Satellite Bingo winners with the Knights of Columbus since joining the provincial game in April 1998. Last fall, the Falher organization was on a hot streak with four winners in one month. Kathie Clifford of Girouxville won $4,064 on Oct. 25, splitting the jackpot with two other winners. Noella Berube of Falher won $11,223 as the lone winner in the provincial jackpot Oct. 18. Shirley Martel of Donnelly won $8,858, of $15,079 in splitting the jackpot of $15,079 in Alberta on Sept. 27 and Alex Watt of McLennan won $15,079 as the lone winner on March 1, 2006.

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