Betty Reid Soskin, the oldest living National Park Service ranger, passed away on December 21, 2025, at 104. A trailblazing civil rights activist, historian, and storyteller, she retired from the NPS in 2022 at age 100, leaving a legacy that went far beyond her title.
Soskin helped shape the Rosie the Riveter/WWII Home Front National Historical Park in Richmond, ensuring stories of African Americans and other marginalized communities were told. Her journey with the Park Service began at 84 through a PG&E-funded grant, and her interpretive programs transformed how visitors understood America’s past.
Born Betty Charbonnet in 1921, she grew up fleeing Jim Crow oppression, later co-founding one of the first Black-owned music stores, Reid’s Records. She also worked in local and state government, advocating for equity and inclusion.
Honored by President Obama in 2015 to light the National Christmas Tree, Soskin remained engaged with politics and civil rights until her final days. She passed peacefully at home in Richmond, California. Her family requested donations to Betty Reid Soskin Middle School or her documentary, Sign My Name to Freedom, in lieu of flowers.