Minerva man wins $800,000 in BrightSide Tavern’s Queen of Hearts drawing

Roy Landsberger was the lucky recipient of BrightSide Tavern’s annual Queen of Hearts, taking home just over $800,000 during the draw down Oct. 4 in Jewett.

Sixteen cards were cut from the board before Landsberger selected card number 52, revealing the long-sought queen. “It was crazy,” he said. “I couldn’t believe I got my name called, and when the queen came up I about passed out.”

The 75-year-old Minerva resident has operated Buckeyed Tree Farm since 1972 and has been a regular at the Jewett game since it began. “We’ve been coming since it started,” he said, noting that he enjoys the weekly event even when he doesn’t win.

Landsberger and a few friends bought the same number of tickets each week leading up to the final drawing. “While I’m already retired,” he said, “now I’m really retired.” He added that he might finally fix his driveway, though his wife joked, “It’s been that way for 20 years—just leave it.”

A Vietnam veteran, Landsberger served in 1970 and 1971 with a tanker unit that hauled jet fuel north to support missions over Laos and Cambodia.

Landsberger has three adult children and several grandchildren. His younger daughter, her boyfriend and their two-year-old daughter live with him. The night of the drawing brought a scare when his daughter and her boyfriend were involved in a motorcycle accident in Minerva. “We almost left to go to the hospital because we didn’t know how bad she was hurt,” he said. “They took her in an ambulance, but she’s going to be okay.”

His oldest daughter works as a veterinary technician in Canfield and has three children preparing for college. “They’re doing real well,” Landsberger said proudly.

Reflecting on his win, Landsberger said the prize is more money than he’s ever had in his life. He plans to enjoy his retirement surrounded by his family and grandchildren.