Who was Betty Reid Soskin married to? All about husbands and children as nation’s oldest park ranger dies at 104

Betty Reid Soskin, the oldest park ranger in US history, is no more. She had turned 104 in September, three months before her passing. Reid Soskin’s family confirmed her death in a recent post on her Facebook page. They shared: 

“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. She was attended by family. She led a fully packed life and was ready to leave.” 

The family sought privacy and mentioned that they would soon announce details of a public memorial service for Betty Reid Soskin. They also shared an obituary celebrating the life of the nation’s oldest park ranger, who retired in 2022 at 100. 

Betty, born on September 22, 1921, married twice during her lifetime. At 20, she tied the knot with her first husband, Mel Reid, in 1942. According to the San Francisco Bay Times, they shared four children – Dale Richard, Robert Thomas, Di’ara Melite Kitty, and Dorian Leon. Mel was also the co-founder of Reid's Records, a Berkeley, California-based business, alongside Betty. 

The business, which the couple founded in 1945, remained active for nearly 75 years before shuttering in 2019. Mel and Betty also moved to Walnut Creek, California, during the ‘50s, where they resided in a white suburb. According to the New York Times, Betty Reid Soskin and her husband faced racial hostility and death threats at the time. 

The couple remained together for three decades before divorcing in 1972. Six years later, Betty married her second husband, William Soskin, who was a psychology professor at the University of California, Berkeley. According to her obituary, Betty had collaborated with Dr. Soskin on Project Community. 

Mel and William passed away in the 1980s, and Betty remained unmarried for the rest of her life. She also reflected upon how their deaths impacted her. 

Betty Reid Soskin lost her father and her former husbands within three months

During the late 1980s, the former National Park Service (NPS) ranger suffered three personal tragedies. William Soskin died within three months of the deaths of Betty’s father and first husband. During a 2022 chat with Marie Claire, Reid Soskin recalled: 

“I don't remember anything except that in 1987, all the men in my life died at one time.” 

She recounted becoming “Betty” after losing the three men: 

“I didn't know who I was for another three months. I couldn't imagine being without them. But… at the end of [the] three months, I suddenly discovered that I was no longer Betty Reid or Betty Charbone, or Betty Soskin, but Betty. And I've been spinning off that Betty ever since.”

In a conversation with the Guardian, Betty Reid Soskin remarked that her life began after the deaths of her husband and former spouses. She claimed she “didn't really know who I was until then.” Betty added: 

“I really began to see myself as being a part of the world. I began to be in my own shoes. I had things to do – and that lasted until I was 100. I went on doing things. I was no longer becoming, I was simply being.” 

Betty Reid Soskin went on to become a national park ranger at the age of 85, becoming a permanent ranger in 2011. She suffered a stroke in 2019, but remained an active ranger until 2022. She retired at 101, after receiving numerous accolades throughout her lifetime. Reid Soskin also raised four children while being a businesswoman and a federal worker. 

The San Francisco Bay Times reported in 2022 that one of Betty Reid Soskin’s children was developmentally disabled, while another one was openly gay and had passed away. According to the newspaper, Di’ara Melite Kitty is “proudly transgender” and a “member of the San Francisco Pride Board of Directors.”