Donor Stories—Shane

A Longtime Commitment to Northwell Health

Morris Shane exemplifies commitment—both to his late wife, Deborah, to whom he was married for over 60 years, and to Long Island Jewish Medical Center (LIJ), part of the Northwell Health Foundation. Morris, a war veteran, spent his childhood in Philadelphia and eventually settled on Long Island in 1947. He has two sons and four grandchildren.

Morris’s connection to LIJ began when he met Nathan Shuler, one of LIJ’s founders and “like a father to me,” at a family wedding when he was a teenager. Morris graduated from high school at the age of 15. Mr. Shuler hired him for his first job working in a factory making metal castings. He attended Cooper Union at night, graduating with a B.S. in mechanical engineering. Morris was promoted twice—the first time to draftsman and then to vice president, before being drafted into the Army as an aviation cadet and serving in Colorado, Connecticut, and New Mexico prior to being shipped to Italy. He was awarded the Bronze Star after approximately half of his fellow enlistees in the 450th Bomb Squad were killed in combat missions. Upon his return Morris was named executive vice president at Flush Metal Partition Corp.

Over time Morris was encouraged by Mr. Shuler to become involved in philanthropy. He heeded Mr. Shuler’s suggestion to “set an example of what a good Jew is supposed to do” by co-chairing the 1953 fund drive for LIJ. Thereafter he made contributions every year and remained actively involved in LIJ affairs.

Morris’s financial commitment to LIJ was shared by his wife—they both designated LIJ as a beneficiary of their respective estates. After Deborah passed away, he decided to “make his will livable and actionable” by moving the gift forward. He generously funded a charitable gift annuity for the ultimate benefit of LIJ, as well as gift annuities for several other organizations including the Cooper Union, Parker Geriatric (where his mother-in-law resided), and the Jewish Theological Seminary.

Morris and Deborah were active volunteers. In addition to their commitments to LIJ, Morris formerly served as president (among other offices) of Old Westbury Hebrew Congregation. Deborah helped found the Long Island chapter of Hadassah in Westbury.