Oak Park family claims Powerball grand prize anonymously

• Reprints

A west suburban family has claimed the first-ever Powerball grand prize awarded in Illinois, but done so in a way to keep their identities secret.

The ticket, sold for the Dec. 11 drawing has been claimed by the Shim Partnership, an unidentified family from Oak Park, the Illinois Lottery announced Tuesday.

As a joint winner of the $37.5 million, the partnership will split the jackpot with a Kentucky winner -- taking $18.75 million each, according to a release from the lottery.

The lucky ticket was purchased on a stop for gas at the Thornton Gas & Food Mart at 601 S. Harlem Ave. in Forest Park, the release said. The winner stopped before heading out of town for a family vacation.

Not frequent Lottery players, they felt lucky being it was their son’s birthday and decided to purchase a quick pick Powerball ticket, the release said. The day after the drawing, they were in disbelief as their son revealed the matching numbers from a smartphone application.

The family, which formed the partnership to avoid disclosing their name when claiming the prize, plans to use part of the winnings to pay for their children’s college education.

The winning ticket matched all five numbers along with the Powerball -- 1-8-10-19-20 and a Powerball of 23. It also had a Power Play of 2.

Thornton Gas & Food Mart will receive a one percent bonus of $187,000 for selling the winning ticket.