Betty Reid Soskin, the trailblazing former National Park Service ranger whose life stretched across more than a century of American history, has died. She was 104.

Her family confirmed that Soskin passed away peacefully Sunday morning at her home in Richmond, California, surrounded by loved ones, according to a report by NBC. 

“This morning on the Winter Solstice, our mother, grandmother, and great grandmother, Betty Reid Soskin, passed away peacefully at her home in Richmond, CA at 104 years old,” her family told the outlet. 

Soskin’s kin expressed that she led a “fully packed life” and was “ready to leave.” 

Widely known as the nation’s oldest active National Park Service ranger, Soskin didn’t begin her work with the Park Service until later in life.

Her journey with the NPS began through a grant-supported project focused on uncovering the overlooked experiences of Black Americans during World War II. That work led to a temporary position when she was 84, and she eventually became a permanent employee in 2011. 

She officially retired in 2022.

During World War II, Soskin worked as a file clerk in the segregated union hall of the Boilermakers, an experience that sharpened her understanding of labor, race, and systemic inequity, according to the National Park Service.  

In 1945, she and her husband, Mel Reid, opened Reid’s Records, which was one of the first Black-owned music stores in the country. The store became a cultural cornerstone and remained in operation for more than seven decades before closing in 2019.

RELATED: HBCU Honors Salutes Three Trailblazers: Shirley Caesar, David Banner, and Janice Bryant Howroyd

Her commitment to public service extended well beyond music and history. 

In the early 2000s, Soskin’s voice and lived experience proved essential as the City of Richmond and the National Park Service developed plans for the Rosie the Riveter/WWII Home Front National Historical Park. 

Through a grant funded by PG&E, she helped surface long-overlooked stories of African Americans who played critical roles on the wartime home front. That work placed her behind the ranger desk, where she led public programs and shared personal reflections that brought history into sharper focus.

National attention followed in 2013 during the federal government shutdown, when Soskin became widely recognized as the oldest active park ranger in the country. 

Despite the spotlight, she remained focused on her mission, using every opportunity to educate the public about the realities of the WWII home front rather than engaging in political discourse.

In her later years, Soskin faced health challenges, including a stroke in 2019 that required months of physical therapy. Even then, her determination prevailed as she returned to work in 2020 before eventually stepping away from the National Park Service.

Her family has encouraged those wishing to honor her legacy to support the Betty Reid Soskin Middle School and help complete her documentary film, “Sign My Name to Freedom.”