Betty Reid Soskin, Nation’s Oldest Park Ranger, Dies at 104

Betty Reid Soskin, the nation’s oldest full-time National Park Service ranger, has died at 104. Her family confirmed she passed away peacefully at her home in Richmond, California on the morning of the Winter Solstice.

• Age: 104 (born September 22, 1921)
• Cause: Passed peacefully at home, attended by family
• Park service: Became a ranger at 85 and a permanent ranger in 2011
• Business founder: Co-founded Reid’s Records in 1945
• Family: Married twice; four children with first husband Mel Reid
• Retirement: Served into her early 100s and retired from active duty in 2022

The lede

Betty Reid Soskin died peacefully at 104 at her Richmond home, her family wrote on her official Facebook page. They said she was attended by family and that details of a public memorial will be announced soon.

Marriages and children

Reid Soskin married twice. Her first marriage was to Mel Reid in 1942, with whom she had four children: Dale Richard, Robert Thomas, Di’ara Melite Kitty and Dorian Leon. The couple co-founded Reid’s Records, a Berkeley-based music business established in 1945 that operated for nearly 75 years before closing in 2019.

After her divorce from Mel Reid in 1972, she married William Soskin—then a psychology professor at the University of California, Berkeley—about six years later. Betty collaborated with Dr. Soskin on Project Community. Both Mel Reid and William Soskin died in the 1980s; Betty remained unmarried for the rest of her life.

Fast, painful losses and a new sense of self

In the late 1980s Reid Soskin endured a string of personal tragedies: the deaths of her father, her first husband Mel, and her second husband William within a three-month span. She later told interviewers that those losses marked a turning point—she “didn’t really know who I was until then”—and that she emerged with a renewed sense of purpose.

The legacy: Three defining achievements

1. Reid’s Records: Co-founder of one of Berkeley’s longest-running Black-owned businesses, established in 1945 and active for nearly 75 years.
2. Late-career public service: Began working at the National Park Service at age 85 and became a permanent ranger in 2011, making her the oldest full-time NPS ranger in U.S. history.
3. Public education and community work: Partnered on Project Community and spent decades interpreting and teaching the public about Black history, civil rights, and the local stories that shaped the Bay Area.

Career milestones and final years

Reid Soskin’s voice and presence drew visitors for years. She remained active after a 2019 stroke and continued public-facing work until retiring from the National Park Service in 2022, having served into her early 100s. Her retirement closed a remarkable chapter of late-life public service and advocacy.

Social proof: Reactions and tributes

The family’s Facebook announcement—shared publicly—remembered her as a mother, grandmother and great-grandmother who “led a fully packed life and was ready to leave.” Colleagues, park visitors and Bay Area civic leaders have been sharing condolences, praising her candor, warmth and commitment to educating the public about often-overlooked histories. The family asked for privacy as they prepare a public memorial.

Why her life mattered

Betty Reid Soskin’s life spanned a century of seismic change. From building a Black-owned business in the 1940s to confronting racial hostility in suburban California, to becoming a national educator on civil rights and local history in her late 80s and 90s, her story is both a personal and public chronicle of resilience and civic service.