William Wanczyk, a former firefighter, was struck and killed while waiting for a bus in November 2016.
The best of times for Powerball winner Mavis Wanczyk comes just months after a terrible tragedy struck her family.
Read: Meet America's Newest Millionaire: Woman Wins $758M Powerball Jackpot After Mix-Up
Police say her ex-husband and father of her two children was killed by an alleged drunk driver at a bus stop in Amherst, Mass., in November.
William Wanczyck, 55, was a retired firefighter. He and Mavis divorced in 2012.
Peter Sheremeta, 20, of Belchertown was arrested in connection with Wanczyk's death and was arraigned in June on charges of manslaughter, motor vehicle homicide while under the influence of alcohol and other counts. He has pleaded not guilty.
Now, with her historic win, Mavis Wanczyk is able to offer herself and her children a life they never could have imagined previously.
At the local diner in Chicopee, her historic win was all anyone could talk about.
“God bless them," said one diner patron. "They are going to have a lot of trouble."
Others offered advice, like, “I hope they do the right thing with it and are very careful,” and, “She should hide.”
Many past lotto winners have rushed into buying fancy cars and houses and generally mismanaged their riches, sometimes leaving them with nothing.
Now that the 53-year-old from Massachusetts has become one of the richest women in America overnight, how does she make sure she doesn't blow it all?
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Trish Regan, who hosts The Intelligence Report on the Fox Business network, told Inside Edition the money could last for "generations" if the lotto winner is "smart about it."
She advises to "think about what you want to be invested in," adding that anyone who ran into that much money would be wise to put it in the stock market, bonds and in real estate.
"There is a variety of things you can be putting your money in," she added. "The most important thing is diversification — so that money grows and that money lasts."
Wanczyk won $758.7 million but is taking the lump sum, which brings her winnings to $336 million after taxes.
With wise counsel, she'll hopefully remain on the rich list next year.
