Eastern Iowa Woman Turns $2 Ticket Into Lifelong Winning

An eastern Iowa woman who cashed in on a lottery contest early this week, woke up in the middle of the night and decided to check her numbers. Believing it couldn't be real, she woke up her husband. He didn't believe it, either.

$25,000 a Year for Life

Doesn't that just sound awesome. A supplementary salary every year for the rest of your life. Deb Perrott of Mount Pleasant plays the same numbers in each drawing of Lucky for Life, according to the Iowa Lottery. Monday, June 28 was indeed Deb's lucky day. Her ticket matched the winning numbers of 5-7-23-25-48. She didn't have the Lucky Ball (8), but still cashed in with a paycheck for $25,000 a year for the rest of her life.

How Much Could She Have Won?

Had Deb also matched the Lucky Ball, the Iowa Lottery says "players can win the game's top prize of $1,000 a day for life by matching all six numbers." She was THAT close to $365,000 a year. Still, $25 grand is nothing to be disappointed in.

If Deb lives to be 80 (the current average life expectancy for women in the United States), she'll receive those checks for 22 years. That would add up to a total of more than a half-million dollars. $550,000 to be exact.

How She Confirmed She Was a Winner is Kind of Funny

She woke up at around 1:30 Tuesday morning and decided to check the numbers on her lottery tickets. She couldn't believe the numbers she saw on her phone matched one of the tickets in her hand. That's when she woke up her husband. He couldn't believe it either. They needed someone to tell them it was real so they drove to a convenience store. That's when Perrott found out she was the 11th big winner in the 5 1/2 years that the Lucky for Life game has existed.

Another Big Eastern Iowa Winner

Michael Jones of Cedar Rapids (below) claimed a $100,000 Iowa Lottery prize last Thursday, June 24, after being the third person to win the top prize in the lottery's "Lux" game.

"Lux" is a $10 scratch game that has a total of eight top prizes. Obviously, that means there are still five more to be paid out. Jones bought his ticket at the Kwik Star at 3730 Williams Blvd. SW in Cedar Rapids.

Iowa Lottery

Iowa's Island City

There is something unique about every town, but there is really something special about Sabula, IA. Known as "Iowa's Island City," Sabula is the only town in the state of Iowa that is entirely on an island. While not a lot of people have been to, or live in Sabula, it is a quaint little town nestled right on the Mississippi River.

Before we show you around "Iowa's Island City," let me give you the history of Sabula. Sabula was established in 1835, according History of Jackson County, Iowa, Volume 1 by James Whitcomb Ellis. Isaac Dorman and a man named Hinkley crossed the river from the Illinois side on a log and decided to settle on what is now Sabula. An Ohio couple, James and Margaret Woods would settle on Sabula about a year later in April of 1836. Their son, Dr. E. A. Woods would purchase Hinkley's interest in the claim. Charles Swan and W. H. Brown would soon purchase Dorman's interest. The three men, Woods, Swan and Brown later had the land plotted in 1837.

The idea behind plotting the land was because there was no town between Lyons (north Clinton) and Bellevue. The plot of the new town was recorded in Dubuque as this area was part of Dubuque county at the time, according History of Jackson County, Iowa, Volume 1 by James Whitcomb Ellis.

According to Island City Harbor's website, Sabula went through a few names before landing on the official town name. In 1837, Sabula was first called Carrollport. Residents of the town didn't like the name because there was a man's name who was Carroll who had a bad reputation. The town changed its name to Charleston, after early settler Charles Swan. The only issue was that there was already a town called Charleston in Iowa which caused much confusion.

In 1846 the settler’s decided to find a name. Island City Harbor's website says that because of it’s sandy soil, William Hubble suggested the town be called "Sabulum" which is Latin for sand. A party was being held around the time the town name was being discussed, when a woman, supposed to be Miss Harriet Hudson, suggested the town be called Sabula as it was easier to pronounce and sounded more elegant, according History of Jackson County, Iowa, Volume 1 by James Whitcomb Ellis.

Sabula did not actually become an island until 1939. According to Wikipedia, in the 1930's, the Army Corps of Engineers constructed the lock and dam system. In 1939, Lock and Dam No. 13 between Clinton, IA and Fulton, IL was built which caused the bottomlands west of the town permanently flooded. With the Mississippi River east of the town, this created the "Island City." A levee was built around Sabula in 1957 for protection, according to Island City Harbor's website. This also allowed for the south sand pit to be turned into a boat harbor.

I would like to thank my mom Beth, her fiancé Matt, my brother Nolan and my wife Ellie for accompanying me to Sabula. We always have a blast on our trips and this one was no exception.

It's now time to introduce you to Sabula, Iowa, Iowa's Island City.

LOOK: Here are the 25 best places to live in Iowa

Stacker compiled a list of the best places to live in Iowa using data from Niche. Niche ranks places to live based on a variety of factors including cost of living, schools, health care, recreation, and weather. Cities, suburbs, and towns were included. Listings and images are from realtor.com.

On the list, there's a robust mix of offerings from great schools and nightlife to high walkability and public parks. Some areas have enjoyed rapid growth thanks to new businesses moving to the area, while others offer glimpses into area history with well-preserved architecture and museums. Keep reading to see if your hometown made the list.

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