Karla Markevich peeks over the top of this super-sized $85,987 cheque she received at the Lloyd Ex on Monday for winning $85,987 in the Chase the Ace draw on Jan. 24. She is joined on the left by Lloyd Ex finance manager, Stacy Cadzow, Chase the Ace chair, Ray Foy, and on the right by proxy, John Blair, who pulled the winning ticket. Geoff Lee Meridian Source
Karla Markevich from the Waseca area caught up with the ace of hearts to win the $85,987 Lloyd Ex Chase the Ace jackpot in week 20 of the draw.
Proxy John Blair pulled the lucky card for her on Jan. 24 with Greg Buchanan calling the live play-by-play on Facebook.
“Three, two, one flip it. It is the ace of hearts. Karla you have won Chase the Ace—$85,987,” declared a stoked Buchanan.
“I hope, Karla, you are watching on Facebook in Waseca because you’re a whole lot richer.”
It took Markevich until this Monday to get over the shock and pick up her cheque with the media ambushing her on arrival.
“Very shocked,” was how she described her reaction to her big win.
She let on she’s single and joked she is more interested in buying some cows than having a good time. The 45-year-old raises Angus Simmental Cross in her area and is a welder by trade.
Markevich is the owner of KJM Welding and Farms Ltd. and fabricates everything from livestock stuff to Texas gates for oil companies.
As for being able to afford a vacation she said, “I might go past Lloyd now.”
Markevich says she bought eight tickets for $50 for the draw and is a regular player.
“I bought numerous tickets over the years, me and my dad,” she said.
She noted her dad died in 2022 and credits her spiritual bond with him for the win.
The Chase the Ace action started when her ticket number was pulled, prompting a phone call to Markevich who took awhile to answer her phone.
“Karla it’s Greg Buchanan from Lloyd Ex. Your name was drawn and you’ve won yourself $4,057,” he proclaimed.
“Perfect” was all she was heard saying, but she recognized Buchanan’s voice.
She didn’t offer any card-pulling advice for her proxy John Blair, not knowing what goes on with the draw.
Buchanan however, asked Blair what his plan was given he’s done this many times.
“Well, we’re just going to peruse the cards a little bit and then see if they fall into the right place,” said Blair with Buchanan holding the mic.
“Where is it, John? He’s going to go to the side!” Buchanan told the audience.
The rest is history with Buchanan recapping the pull. “What a night it was. We pulled the ace of hearts and Karla in Waseca is $85,000 richer,” he said.
Markevich couldn’t have asked for a better proxy as Blair has pulled three winning draws.
The first time I pulled it was for $750,000, the second was $1.2 million and this was $85,000. It’s fun and I can meet the people who’ve won,” said Blair.
“Usually I concentrate a little bit harder, but this time I didn’t—just picked a card.”
“You would think he’d buy a ticket,” advised Markevich when she learned about his lucky picks for others.
Chase the Ace chair, Ray Foy, said his committee will be meeting soon to discuss if they run the lottery again, and when, noting it’s been a win-win for everyone.
“It’s been a lot of fun for us. It’s been fun for all the weekly winners. Anyone that’s going to win $85,000 that’s awesome. That can do a lot of good things in a household,” he said.
Foy says Lloyd Ex has also put some of the lottery proceeds to good use including spending over $1 million in the last year and a half to renovate the WLS Convention Centre.
The list of improvements includes tearing down some old hangars, purchasing a gravel truck and adding internet and Wifi for outdoor chuckwagon events.
“It’s just on and on,” said Foy.
