The family of Sumner “Matt” Matthes sadly announce that he is terminally ill.
He is currently being cared for at Heartland on Sawyer Road, Sarasota.
Matt served 22 years in the United States Air Force and has been an animal rights advocate and activist for over 35 years not only with Sarasota in Defense of Animals (SDA) but also throughout the State of Florida, the United States, and globally as well. In past years, he has served as Treasurer of The Humane Society of Sarasota County, with the Sarasota County Animal Welfare Board, the Sarasota County Sheriff’s Animal Services, the World Society for Protection of Animals and on the Board of Directors of The Wild Animal Orphanage in San Antonio, Texas. He has saved the lives of thousands of wild and exotic animals sometimes having them transported for thousands of miles to give them life in a semi-natural environment in sanctuaries.
For stricter laws for animal protection, he has lobbied in the Florida Legislature and in the U. S. Congress along with notable activists and actresses Tippi Hedren, Mellanie Griffith, and Bo Derek. One of Matt’s amazing achievements that had national media coverage was the dramatic rescue of Texas Cougars that were used by the Florida Fish & Game Commission to re-institute the Florida Panther gene pool and had ended up on a canned hunting ranch in Texas. He not only saved the Cougars and put them in a sanctuary, but his efforts sparked a legislative investigation of the Florida Panther License Plate Fund resulting in exposure of misappropriation and subsequent realignment of the Panther Trust Fund.
On the local scene, Matt worked tirelessly for over 10 years for the building replacement of the Sarasota County Animal Shelter; for securing funding and administering for 5 years the first county spay/neuter program; successfully campaigning for county ordinances banning canned hunts in Sarasota County; lifting restrictions on the number of household pets, and to allow feral and un-owned neighborhood cats to exist under certain rules with care-givers.
In 1988, Matt purchased a 10-acre property in Myakka Valley Ranches in rural Sarasota County and the site of the SDA sanctuary which now provides lifetime care for 365 animals, including goats, ducks, geese, rabbits, cats, dogs, horses, pigs, sheep, and cows. Matt has sacrificed personal luxuries for the past 22 years in order to pay for the sanctuary property, its taxes, insurance, utilities, improvements, etc. and to supplement the income of SDA to provide lifetime comfort and care for the animals to which he has given so much of his life. He has carried heavy responsibilities without complaint and without regret.
On his death bed, his family has tearfully told him that he will soon be going to the Rainbow Bridge and he started naming all the many many precious animals that he has been privileged to care for and know over the past 22 years at the SDA sanctuary.
We MUST NOT let our grief prevent us from continuing Matt’s work. In the coming days, months, and years there will be so many chores and duties that he did without fanfare or the need for giving him credit. His loyal children, Ashley, Kristi, and Russell and I, his wife, will be by his side until the end and hopefully, some of you will step up to help Matt’s family and his SDA family to carry on his unfinished work to make this world a better place for ALL.
Elise M. Matthes
President
Sarasota in Defense of Animals (SDA)
PO Box 15653
Sarasota, FL 34277-1653
Telephone: 941-924-2505
http://www.sdasarasota.com/
SDA is a non-profit IRS 501(c)(3) corporation licensed in the State of Florida, rescuing and providing sanctuary care for animals since 1989
This press release was sent out to various animal-related agencies and Big Cat Rescue carried the release on several of its web posting sites.
While I am saddened by the loss of any persons or animals, I will not jump on the band wagon and say what a wonderful advocate he was for all animals. He may have been successful in saving animals in Florida, but he was an absolute failure when it came to saving the WAO animals.
Truth be told, his final legacy will be the destruction of the WAO. For years, despite numerous problems brought forth to his attention, he refused to address the issues, thereby enabling the WAO directors and staff to essentially "rob the animals blind." Despite his desire to be a great animal rescuer, hundreds of WAO animals died on his watch--those animals died needlessly--and yet he chose to sit on the sidelines and allow the very people who were accused of the most heinous crimes to continue operating the facility as if nothing was wrong.
Sadly, Sumner and all the other WAO Board of Director's final legacy will be marked by the blood of the WAO animals. May God and the WAO animals forgive him for his transgressions against them because I simply cannot.
First time I've ever read an obit for a guy who hasn't bit the dust yet.
ReplyDeleteSince it's apparent that there will be no jail time for the guilty parties of the 'former' WAO, perhaps their consciences...providing they have one.....will do them in. If not, fear will do it. They know they're guilty. They tend to get very paranoid when they know that others know that they are guilty. Poetic justice? Maybe. Works for me.
I've been in the place where Sumner was....if indeed he did not know and was totally hoodwinked by Ron, Carol, and the WAO's entire board....where I learned of some pretty horrible things about people I 'thought' I knew and trusted. The first time it happened, I will admit, it took a little while for me to second guess what I 'thought' I knew about the people, but because it meant others could be suffering if I was wrong, and because I 'had' to know for sure for myself, I simply checked into the allegations. I could not have lived with myself otherwise.
It has happened a number of times, 3 of them with sanctuaries.
If we care about any living beings who are incapable of protecting themselves or unable to speak out for themselves, then we 'have' to be their eyes and ears and mouths. If we hear that things are not as they should be, we need to make it our duty to find out if it's true or not. This doesn't mean you have to alert the news media and bring a full blown band. It can be done quietly. If there is no truth to it, no one needs to know anything was even suspected of being amiss. But do not be guilty yourself by 'not' doing something simply because you 'don't think' or 'know' that someone you 'think' you know is incapable of doing whatever. Most crooks do go undetected for a good while 'because' they are such good con artists. Of course you wouldn't believe them guilty 'because' they are that good at what they do! I know! I've been there more than once!
I guess, too, it's because I've been a victim myself. If I was in trouble and needed help, I would want people to care enough to at least check out the situation to make sure I was safe. What if it was your child? Or pet? It happens all the time. We just need more people to be more caring, more cautious, and willing to be whistle blowers when needed.
This is all the more true, because evidently, there is no justice or justice system that will protect the innocent and punish the guilty. Ron, Carol, and the other board members are out there completely free to live their lives, and as we've seen, Ron and Carol are still at it, inflicting others with their brand of 'caring' and offers to 'help'. Now they are trying to add human children into the mix.
Well, Sumner was only a blind and stupid enabler. I hope Sumner is able to make amends and find peace. Sincerely.