William H. “Shady” Lane

Shady is a gifted man with a penchant for seeing humor in things others see nothing within.  Over the years that he lived in Aspen he was part owner in Aspen Sports with Steve Knowlton.  He was a partner and driver for Aspen Truck Lines with Jim Adams.  He lived for many years down at the end of the road named after him, Shady Lane, which was just off the base of Red Mountain Road just past the Roaring Fork River.

Shady along with his former wife, Joan, had two sons, Michael and Thomas.  The boys were older than me but I remember how nice they treated everyone.  They were very much individuals, you would never have guessed that they were brothers.  But this story is about Shady.

Shady was known for going to an extreme to have a little fun and if the joke was on you; well, you knew you had been had.  He was equally as good at going with the punches when he was the object of a practical joke.  Here are some examples:

The White Kitchen

The White Kitchen restaurant was a local hangout and known for outstanding breakfasts and lunches.  Angie Klusmire (Griffiths) was the proprietor along with her husband, Newt.  While driving for Aspen Truck Lines, along with his partner, Jim Adams, an accident happened that caused the loss of one of Jim’s fingers.   Without skipping a beat Shady ran into The White Kitchen chasing Angie’s dog.  He announced to Angie and her customers that her dog had eaten Jim’s finger.  After all the commotion died down Shady admitted that it was all a joke, although Jim did lose a finger that day.  It was retrieved from the accident site and re-attached only to be removed a few years later as it “stuck out like a sore finger!” 

Historical Details: The White Kitchen was on Hyman Avenue next door to Walter “Sugar” Huber’s Le Delice.  Beyond that was Amelia’s (Amelia Kopp) Beauty Salon.  On the other side of The White Kitchen sat Louie’s Spirit House owned by Louis Pastori.

The Dinner Guest

Shady had a knack for knowing when my family was sitting down for dinner regardless of what time it might be.  He was always a welcome guest but there were times when we would adjust the dinner hour just to throw him off, often without success.

On one occasion he showed up just in time for dinner having just returned from doing deliveries in his truck.  At some point in the evening my father snuck out and put a couple of yards of dirt inside the back of his truck.  Keep in mind, my father had an excavating company and there was always a pile of dirt somewhere in our back yard.

The next morning Shady headed to Glenwood to pick up another load of freight destined for the valley.  When he arrived in Glenwood at the loading dock he found the gift of dirt.  Shady had to find a vacant lot somewhere nearby and shoveled out the dirt before returning to pick up his load.

That evening he stopped back by our house.  When asked if he had come to join us for dinner he replied, “No, I came for more dirt.”  Shady was always good at taking a joke and turning it to his advantage.

Shady lives with his son, Michael, in Hudson, Colorado and is doing well.