Dolly Parton Inspired Lottery Winner to Give Away $77M

A British woman who won a £115 million ($156 million) EuroMillions jackpot has given away around half her fortune – in part thanks to county legend Dolly Parton.

Frances Connolly and her husband, Paddy, became the biggest lottery winners in Northern Ireland’s history when they scooped £114.9 million in the EuroMillions draw on New Year’s Day 2019.

The former social worker and teacher has since devoted much of her life to philanthropy, establishing the PFC Trust to support community projects in North East England, continuing a remarkable tradition of lottery winners who decided they simply didn’t need the money.

Connolly, who recently turned 60, told the PA news agency that the “Queen of Country” had been an inspiration for her charitable work.

Parton, who died last month at age 80, was renowned for her philanthropy, primarily through the Dollywood Foundation, which supports childhood literacy, education, disaster relief, and other charitable causes.

Conolly said that once people reached a point where they had “enough,” sharing what they had with others was simply human nature.

The Connollys’ donations have supported young carers, projects combating loneliness among older people, emergency food programs, and local sports clubs.

But while giving away roughly half of a nine-figure jackpot is unusual, other lottery winners have gone even further.

Britain’s ‘Lotto Angel’

Ray and Barbara Wragg, of Sheffield, won £7.6 million on the UK National Lottery in 2000 and ultimately gave away £5.5 million of their fortune.

Barbara, a former hospital worker who became known locally as the “Lotto Angel,” decided within an hour of discovering the win that much of the money should go to people who needed it.

Beneficiaries included hospitals, cancer charities, hospices, and local children. The couple also paid for World War II veterans to travel to Italy for a reunion commemorating the Battle of Monte Cassino.

Barbara died in 2018, aged 77.

Couple Gave Away 98%

Canadian couple Allen and Violet Large went considerably further after winning C$11.25 million (then US$10.9 million) on Lotto 6/49 in 2010.

The retired Nova Scotia couple kept just 2% of the jackpot for themselves after taking care of their family, distributing the remainder among churches, fire departments, hospitals, cemeteries, and the Canadian Red Cross.

Allen said at the time that the couple had already saved enough during their working lives to support themselves in retirement.

$40M Jackpot Donation

Then there was Calgary retiree Tom Crist, who decided he needed precisely none of his C$40 million (then around US$38.8 million) Lotto Max jackpot.

Crist learned of his win in 2013 while playing golf and initially carried on with his round.

The former electrical company executive subsequently announced he would donate the entire jackpot through a family trust, with his children helping choose the beneficiaries.

Crist’s wife of 33 years, Jan, had died of cancer earlier that year, and cancer charities were among the principal recipients. His first major donation was C$1.2 million to the Calgary cancer center where she had been treated.

Crist explained that a successful career had already left him financially secure.

Precisely how much Parton gave away during her lifetime is unknown because she kept much of her personal philanthropy private. Her best-known charitable project, the Imagination Library, has distributed more than 300 million free books to children since 1995.