RICHMOND, CA– Betty Reid Soskin, known as the nation’s longest-serving National Park Service ranger, has died, her family announced Sunday.
She was 104 years old.
her family wrote Facebook:
“This morning on the winter solstice, our mother, grandmother and great-grandmother, Betty Reed Soskin, passed away peacefully at her home in Richmond, California at the age of 104. The family attended. She had a completely busy life and was ready to leave. We understand the public nature of Betty’s life, but we ask that you respect the family’s privacy at this time..
Soskin was born on September 22, 1921. During World War II she worked as a file clerk for a boilermakers union and founded Reid’s Records in Berkeley. It has been open for 75 years.
I have worked for more than a decade as an interpretive ranger at the Rosie the Riveter World War II Home Front National Park Museum in Richmond.
She retired from the National Park Service in 2022.
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Prior to joining NPS, Soskin helped scoping meetings for the City of Richmond and NPS to develop the Rosie the Riveter/WWII Home Front National Historical Park.
In 2011, Betty became a permanent NPS employee and has been leading public programs and sharing her personal memories and observations at the park’s visitor center.
In September 2021, ABC7’s Liz Kreutz spoke to Soskin and asked her, “What’s the secret to her long life?”
Soskin wasn’t quite sure.
“I wish I knew. I’m not sure there’s a secret,” Soskin said. “I think it’s all just one foot at a time. One foot in front of the other. I don’t think any of us really understand what it’s all about.”
Another explanation was genetics. Soskin’s mother lived to be 101 years old. Her grandmother, who was born a slave in Louisiana in 1856, lived to be 102 years old.
“And I was born in 1921, and I’m still here” in 2021, Soskin added.
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Soskin was also an author, musician, and civil rights activist.
In the unfinished documentary, “Sign My Name to Freedom,” Soskin reveals her passion for music.
“There is a part of my life that I have hidden for half a century,” she said in the film.
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In September 2025, ABC7 was in El Sobrante when dozens of students from Soskin Middle School celebrated Soskin’s 104th birthday.
For those who want to honor Soskin, her family requests donations to Betty Reed Soskin Middle School in Sobrante and/or help support the completion of Betty’s film.I signed my name on freedom“.
Her family said there will be a public memorial. Time and location will be announced.
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