Coupeville resident Brian Kutz usually makes a “big production” out of scratching the numbers off his lottery tickets, but he didn’t get that chance the time he actually won the grand prize.

He arrived home late from a trip off island, he said.

His wife, Tuk Kutz, and their two children had gone to sleep by the time he’d etched the little pieces of paper, which he’d purchased at the Chevron station in Clinton on his way home from the ferry terminal.

Once it revealed he’d won the $200,000 “Game of Life” prize, he said he woke up his wife to make sure it was real.

“You kinda hope to win the big one but never expect it,” he said.

Their son and daughter heard the commotion and came downstairs to investigate. The 11- and 12-year-old children don’t usually care much about the scratch tickets, Kutz said, but they were pretty excited about the win.

To celebrate, the family went to a sushi restaurant in Lynnwood, but most of it is going into their savings, Kutz said. He plans to retire soon, and he and his wife want to buy a house on Whidbey.

The family came to the island in September 2017 when Brian, who’s a government employee, received a reassignment.

The friendly people, peaceful nature and lack of traffic has made Central Whidbey the couple’s choice for their “final stop,” he said. His children want to stay in the school district, so he said he’s looking to buy a house in Central Whidbey.

Kutz is still buying scratch tickets and putting on “productions.”Though he’s happy about the $200,000, he said, it isn’t quite enough to turn in his paper work for retirement.