The oldest U.S. park ranger, Betty Reid Soskin, passed away on Sunday at 104 years old.
Reid Soskin was the nation’s oldest active park ranger when she retired in 2022 at 100 years old. She had also served more than 15 years at the Rosie the Riveter/WWII Home Front National Historic Park in Richmond.
She led tours at the park and museum, which honored women who worked in factories during wartime and shared her own experience as a Black woman during the conflict. She worked for the U.S. Air Force in 1942, but quit after learning “she was employed only because her superiors believed she was white,” according to a Park Service Biography.
According to a Facebook post by family members, Reid Soskin passed away at her home in Richmond surrounded by family.
“She led a fully packed life and was ready to leave,” they wrote.
They encouraged readers to honor Reid Soskin by donating to Betty Reid Soskin Middle School or supporting the completion of her film, “Sign My Name To Freedom.”