DEARBORN, Mo. — Cindy Hill, a laid-off office manager who lives in a small town in Missouri, called her husband Thursday with urgent news that would change everything: ‘‘We won the lottery.’’

‘‘What?’’ he asked.

‘‘We won the lottery,’’ she repeated. But Mark Hill, a 52-year-old mechanic who works at a meat processing plant, is the kind of person who carefully checks the prices for everything he buys, and he needed proof. This is the ‘‘Show-Me State’’ after all.

He drove to his mother’s house, where his wife was waiting with their quick-pick ticket, and confirmed for himself that the numbers matched those drawn for a record $588 million Powerball jackpot they will share with an unknown winner who bought a ticket in Arizona.

The Hills chose to take their winnings in a lump sum, not annual payments. Lottery officials estimated the cash payment at about $385 million, or about $192.5 million for each ticket.