RICHMOND, Calif. — The nation’s oldest National Park Ranger, Betty Reid Soskin, died at the age of 104.
In a public post on Soskin’s social media accounts, a spokesman confirmed the news of her death, saying Soskin had died at her home in Richmond, California on Sunday.
Announcing Soskin’s passing, members of her family said she passed peacefully, attended by her loved ones.
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“This morning on the Winter Solstice, our mother, grandmother, and great grandmother, Betty Reid Soskin, passed away peacefully at her home in Richmond, Calif. at 104 years old. She was attended by family. She led a fully packed life and was ready to leave,” the family said in a statement.
Soskin was hired by the National Park Service as a ranger at the age of 85, working at the Rosie the Riveter World War II Home Front National Historical Park until her retirement in 2022 at the age of 100, according to her obituary.
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The National Park Service said Soskin worked to establish the park as a site for honoring women’s roles during World War II before she began working there as a park ranger.
Among Soskin’s accomplishments, a representative said she will be remembered for receiving the National WWII Museum’s Silver Service Medallion, was the California Legislature’s 1995 Woman of the Year, was presented with the Glamour Magazine Woman of the Year Award in 2018 and was a strong advocate for women of color and marginalized communities.
In addition to her time with NPS, Soskin was a mother, daughter song writer, author, painter, record store owner, author and more.
The story of Soskin’s life was chronicled in No Time to Waste, her blog Cbreaux Speaks, her memoir “Sign My Name to Freedom,” and a film about her songwriting scheduled for release in 2025.
Soskin is survived by her children Rick, Bob, Diara and Dorian Reid, as well as grandchildren and friends.
The family has asked for privacy at this time and said a public memorial will be announced later on.
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