TOPEKA, Kan. – Sometimes it’s a good idea to take a second look, especially when it comes to Kansas Lottery Crossword tickets. Had Treva Koch not taken a second look at her $2 Double Bonus Crossword ticket, she might have missed winning a $20,000 top prize.

“When I play Crosswords, I always go back and check them again,” the 67-year-old Overbook resident told Lottery officials. “Last Friday night, I played four Double Bonus Crossword tickets. I thought I had uncovered seven words on one, but when I rechecked, I realized there was another letter in the ‘bonus’ area that I had not scratched off. That extra letter gave me a total of 10 words and a $20,000 prize!”

Koch is retired now after working as a paraprofessional at Scott Magnet School in Topeka. Widowed a few years ago after 42 years of marriage, she has five grown children, eleven grandchildren and five great-grandchildren. She lives next door to her daughter Carrie and her family.

“After I realized I’d won $20,000, I walked over to Carrie’s to tell her the good news,” Koch explained. “She didn’t believe it at first, but after she and her husband looked at the ticket they said, ‘Yes, you did!’”

Koch says she will use her prize money to get caught up on bills and put most of it in savings. She also said she may take a trip to Pennsylvania this summer to see two of her sisters, one of them her twin.

Koch says she buys a few Double Bonus Crossword tickets every week, and will continue to do so because she enjoys playing. She purchased her $20,000 Double Bonus Crossword ticket at Domans General Store, located at 4961 E. Highway 268 in Vassar.

Information and video thanks to Kansas Lottery.