America’s oldest National Park Service ranger ever, who shared her own stories of life during WWII, dies

By CNN’s Logan Schiciano

(CNN) — Betty Reid Soskin, who was the National Park Service’s oldest active ranger when she retired at age 100, has died. She was 104.

She passed away “peacefully” at her home in Richmond, California on Sunday, according to a statement from her family.

“Thank you for your service, Ranger Betty,” the NPS wrote in a social media post marking Soskin’s death.

Soskin became a NPS ranger in later life, serving full-time at Rosie the Riveter/WWII Home Front National Historical Park in Richmond from 2011 to 2022. She played a key role educating visitors on the work of Black Americans on the home front during World War II.

“It was her opportunity to tell her story,” one of Soskin’s sons, Bob Reid, told CNN. “There were waiting lists to hear her presentations, where she would give her perspective. I think that was probably the heart of her work.”

Reid described his mother as a “trailblazer.”

She grew up in Oakland, California, and worked as a file clerk in a segregated union hall during World War II, according to the NPS. That experience allowed her to bring a unique perspective to her duties, Reid said.

“Being a primary source in the sharing of that history – my history – and giving shape to a new national park has been exciting and fulfilling,” Soskin said when she retired from the NPS. “It has proven to bring meaning to my final years.”

Soskin’s life was “multifaceted,” according to Reid. She and her husband founded one of the first Black-owned music stores in California, Reid’s Records. She also spent stints as an office worker and political staffer.

Her time as a field representative for a California state assembly member brought her to meetings where the management plan for the park where she would later work was developed.

While representing that state at the table and sharing her story, NPS saw Soskin “as a valuable resource in building the park,” Reid said. “They convinced her to become a park ranger.”

The role made Soskin a local celebrity, and she eventually caught the eye of the White House. She introduced then-President Barrack Obama at a tree-lighting ceremony in 2016, where Obama gave her the presidential coin.

Soskin’s namesake will live on through the Betty Reid Soskin Middle School in El Sobrante, California. The school called Soskin a “national treasure” in a statement after her death, and said her “legacy of resilience, wisdom, and unwavering commitment to justice will forever inspire our community.”

Soskin published the book “Sign My Name to Freedom: A Memoir of a Pioneering Life” in 2018. A documentary on her life was in the works at the time of her passing.

CNN’s Zoe Sottile contributed to this report.

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