Dorothy’s legacy lives on. Not only through the work our SASHA family is providing, but through the numerous animals that SASHA Farm has rescued over the last 30 years. This includes Tod, a very special gift from Monte to Dorothy.
Tod is spelled without a second “d” for a reason – spelled in reverse, it had been the nickname of one of SASHA’s founders, Dorothy Davies. Dorothy never cared for the nickname “DOT” which was given to her by her classmates, but she fell in love with Tod the Holstein calf on the first day he came to SASHA. He was purchased in the summer of 2010 by Monte Jackson as a gift for Dorothy’s birthday, saving Tod from being sold at the livestock auction and slaughtered to become dinner on someone’s table.
Instead, Tod joined the SASHA family and was soon known as one of the most sociable and loving calves who had ever lived at this peaceful sanctuary.
Enjoy the beauty of Tod in these pictures.
Celebrating Dorothy’s birthday this past AugustHow I love squash
Dorothy Davies passed away at the age of 73 on Sunday, September 19, 2021 at Chelsea Hospital, and with her death the world lost a hero to many people and a savior to animals. Dorothy was the founder, along with her husband Monte Jackson, of SASHA Farm – Sanctuary and Safe Haven for Animals – which was incorporated in 2001 as a rescue operation and permanent retreat for hundreds and hundreds of farmed animals. It is the largest sanctuary of its kind in the Midwest.
Monte and Dorothy began rescuing a few animals in the 1980’s after moving to Manchester, and the mission grew as did the number of animals. The operation became official with their non-profit status. The sanctuary and its proprietors were the subject of many newspaper and magazine articles over the years. Some early attention in the media came from the rescue of Jefferson, a steer who escaped the slaughterhouse and ran down the streets of Detroit before being brought to safety at SASHA. Writer Jack Lessenberry referred to the farm as “an animal version of paradise” and to Dorothy as “the benevolent Eve who founded this animal preserve.”
Dorothy was born August 18, 1948 in Wayne, Michigan, the daughter of Walter Seletin Jr and Helen (Walczak) Seletin, and they preceded her in death. Dorothy lost her only sibling, Henry Seletin, on September 22, 1991. She graduated from Garden City High School in 1966 and received a Bachelor of Arts degree from Michigan State University. Dorothy and Monte met September 23, 1976 and were married later, but always recognized and celebrated the date that they met as being most significant to them. Prior to being Director of SASHA Farm, Dorothy was the head of the Manchester Township Library. Her son, Darian, attended Manchester High School and Oberlin College, married Rachel Sims, moved out west and had three children with whom Dorothy was very close.
Dorothy loved sharing her favorite things with her grandkids Payton, Hudson and Lincoln, including travel, books, movies and puzzles. She made regular trips to Portland, Oregon to visit them and would often rent a house on the coast to take them for a beach weekend. The kids enjoyed their first visit to Disneyland with their grandma, and she also took the whole family to Costa Rica where they stayed in an eco-lodge in the jungle and went scuba diving, snorkeling and zip lining. With her history as a librarian, Dorothy often gave her grandchildren stacks of books to read and encouraged them in their education. Dorothy was very proud of granddaughter Payton, and grandsons Hudson and Lincoln.
Dorothy had many interests in addition to her work as the leader of SASHA Farm, and primary among them were travel, going to concerts, and doing jigsaw puzzles. She was a master at puzzles, and once completed a 10,000 piece puzzle which took up the entire room. She was a “night owl” who loved to do puzzles into the late hours while listening to music. Her taste in music was vast, but rock and roll was her favorite and she attended countless rock concerts over the years. If you named a band or singer, Dorothy had likely seen them live at some point. She even introduced her grandkids to their first concert when they went to hear Pink perform in Portland. Her last concert was the We Love NYC – The Homecoming Concert in August of this year; she and Monte sat in the front row and at the event they met Stephen Colbert, the late night television host and a person Dorothy had always admired. (And there was once a rescued pygmy goat on the farm named after the celebrity.)
Regarding travel destinations, Dorothy twice circumnavigated the globe and visited many countries. She passed through both the Panama and the Suez Canals. She went on bird-watching and nature expeditions in places like the Galapagos Islands and Uganda, in which Dorothy brushed shoulders with a wild mountain gorilla. Her trips took her to Australia, Bolivia, Cambodia, China, Ecuador, Egypt, England, Ghana, Greece, Hong Kong, India, Indonesia, Israel, Japan, Jordan, Malaysia, Martinique, Mauritius, Morocco, Nepal, Netherlands, Oman, Philippines, Portugal, Scotland, South Africa, Thailand, Tibet, and Vietnam. Her passport was full, as was her life. Dorothy appreciated traveling the world and learning about other cultures, but also enjoyed packing up their motor home and staying in campgrounds locally and across the United States with Monte. They once drove across the Midwest to Wyoming to catch the best view of the total eclipse of the sun.
Dorothy was an incredible woman with lots of determination and intelligence who accomplished many things in her life. She will be sadly missed by her husband Monte, son Darian and daughter-in-law Rachel, grandchildren Payton, Hudson and Lincoln, stepson Ken and his wife Veronica, cousins, many friends and associates, and her animals.
A memorial will be held on Saturday, October 9 from 1 – 5 pm at SASHA Farm, 17901 Mahrle Road, Manchester, MI. FACE MASKS ARE REQUIRED. To honor Dorothy’s legacy and to benefit the rescued animals, donations may be made via the website at sashafarm.org or may be mailed to SASHA Farm, PO Box 222, Manchester, MI, 48158.
We had previously posted this earlier this week, but have added the details of the memorial for Dorothy Davies:
Date: Saturday, October 9, 1:00-5:00 pm
Place: SASHA Farm, 17901 Mahrle Road, Manchester MI 48158
Masks are required
Light refreshments will be served
Memorial contributions in honor of Dorothy’s legacy may be given to SASHA Farm (checks made out to SASHA Farm and mailed to PO Box 222, Manchester MI 48158 OR donations by Credit Card made from the SASHA Website ).
This is the posting we never wanted to write.
We are broken-hearted to share that on Sunday evening September 19, all of the animal world and those of us who work in rescue lost a savior, an incredible human being and a woman whose strength and tenacity saved countless companion and farmed animals for over 30 years. Dorothy Davies, who with her husband Monte Jackson, had been rescuing animals since the 80’s, has passed away.
She started her rescue work with dogs and cats in the local community and beyond, including Katrina dogs and farmed animals who needed the spacious pastures and barns of Dorothy and Monte’s local Michigan farm to find safety from slaughter, abandonment and abuse.
We will always remember Dorothy for her strength and compassion for farmed animals, who rarely received attention from rescuers at the time she started her work. Not only did she speak out in the community and in other forums, she also helped to care for the animals that SASHA Farm rescued.
She was truly a voice for those who could not speak for themselves.
There must be a very special heaven for people like Dorothy. If there is, we know she is there helping all the companion and farmed animals who are crossing the “Bridge” with her. We will miss you always Dorothy. You are a shining star in the heavens now, but we will carry on your work. We will never forget what you have done for the animals.
(At this point we ask that all of our incredible SASHA supporters respect the family’s need for solitude and privacy at this time, and please do not text or call the family with questions, as they are bombarded, as you might imagine).
We will have a memorial service at SASHA Farm and will keep you all posted on the dates. We will be unable to respond to questions via phone or through Facebook at this time, and our apologies in advance for that. Thank you for your continued love, support and understanding. We love you all and know you are grieving with us.
