About - Shady Lane

A Caring History

Since 1951, Shady Lane has excelled at providing the highest level of care to the residents of the Manitowoc community. We reserve our accommodations primarily for the residents of Manitowoc County because that is what we do- take care of the needs of this community first. We make every effort to meet the physical, spiritual, and social needs of all our residents. Over the years, our reputation for providing quality care has been based on our committed staff that provides care twenty-four hours a day, seven days a week.

It all began in 1950 when a group of community leaders saw a need for a not-for-profit senior living facility based on sound principles and values. That philosophy continues today with our board of local visionary leaders who oversee our operations and governance. Offering excellent care and a variety of affordable senior living accommodations is the primary guiding principle in every decision made. Over the years many changes were made as Shady Lane continued to be sensitive to community needs. Currently, Shady Lane offers short-term rehab and long-term placement within its 50-bed nursing home and a variety of assisted living environments totaling 155 units.

It all began in 1950 when a group of community leaders saw a need for a not-for-profit senior living facility based on sound principles and value. That philosophy continues today with our board of local visionary leaders who oversee our operations. Offering excellent care and a variety of affordable senior living accommodations is the primary guiding principle in every decision.

Shady Lane has the advantage of being Manitowoc’s only private citizen-directed, not-for-profit senior living facility. Our fifteen-member volunteer board of directors believes that our community deserves a well-managed, affordable senior living facility, not funded by tax dollars, not directed by stockholders, but through excellent management and community support. Being not-for-profit affects the quality of care with any profits going right back into the facility, making it a better place and a better value. We strive to offer excellent care, a variety of prices, and affordable senior living accommodations.

Oral History Project

In 2011, Shady Lane launched an oral history project believing that our residents are treasures of cultural information. While many read history, our residents lived history and we find the stories they tell about growing up in the depression, living through wars, working in the ship yards, and being Rosie the Riveters, are valuable in establishing a sense of place. They have worked with students, offering stories of real history, they have worked with the Friends of the Manitowoc River to tell the story of the river, students at UW-Manitowoc Center, and in 2011, this project was part of the Wisconsin Oral History Conference. We are grateful to everyone who has contributed to the story of our community. It is a generous gift that lives on.

A Working Mom’s Story

Single moms are not unusual today but when Irene Burton was a single mom in the 1960s she was in the minority. At 90, she offers us a little better vision because she has the advantage of hindsight, which we know is 20/20. Having walked in the shoes of so

August 14, 2015

Housing & Babies after World War II

Post War Housing First, it was the ship workers, then it was the returning soldiers and their new families–housing in Manitowoc in the 1940s was hard to come by. Gert, whose parents lived on a farm near Denmark, found room for her young family with her parents, eventually purchasing their

August 12, 2015

Living History with Lorraine Liese

In an age when every college student is worried about their major and their career path, Lorraine offered wisdom and reassurance. Don’t worry about your major, she advised, study what interests you because you don’t know where it will take you and you’ll work in a lot of professions in

August 10, 2015

Romance, Work, and World War II

Teenagers & Make-Up Make-up has always been a rite of passage into young-womanhood. While their mothers’ generation snitched corn starch from the kitchen to take the glow off their face, these ladies moved smoothly into the Max Factor make-up age. The day you bought your first tube of lipstick was

June 8, 2011