Samuel Lee Smiser; Entrepreneur, Mule Team Owner

Samuel Lee Smiser, 80, trucking company owner and philanthropist whose mule teams were a regular entry in Pasadena’s Rose Parade. Smiser founded Smiser Freight Service, headquartered in the San Gabriel Valley, and operated it for many years. Himself an Eagle Scout, he was a major supporter of the Boy Scouts of America and contributed funds to build Smiser Scout Center in Pasadena, the headquarters for the San Gabriel Valley Council of the Boy Scouts. Smiser’s hobby was mules--owning them, caring for them and driving them. He exhibited his mule teams in parades and rodeos throughout the nation, including the annual New Year’s Day extravaganza in Pasadena. On Tuesday in San Marino of complications of Parkinson’s disease.