Bruce Willis’ mother, 90, celebrated as an ‘icon’ for her 22 years of volunteering for Los Angeles PD

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People are praising Bruce Willis’ mother, who is 90 years old, for her many years of volunteering with the Los Angeles Police Department. She’s being called an ‘icon’ for her dedication.

For the past 22 years, Marlene Willis, known affectionately as ‘Mrs. Willis,’ has volunteered her afternoons assisting the LAPD’s West Los Angeles station.

Marlene reviews police reports for grammar and makes corrections at the NBC Los Angeles station three days a week: Tuesdays, Wednesdays, and Thursdays.

“I really want to help – I can’t even begin to express how much,” she said on Wednesday.

‘This is my family,’ Marlene said of the officers. ‘I mean that 100%.’

Honestly, Marlene isn’t just the office admin – she’s like everyone’s mom at the station! She handles all the paperwork, of course, but it’s what she does after that gets me. She just… instinctively knows when one of the officers has had a really rough shift and she’ll just go over and hug them. It’s the sweetest thing, and they clearly need it. She’s a total angel, seriously. They all lean on her so much, it’s adorable!

Even though she’s the mother of a major Hollywood star, Marlene rarely mentions Willis and keeps him separate from her charitable work.

The article also mentions Marlene has a sweet reminder of her son – a photo of him hugging her – set as her computer wallpaper. He’s her oldest child from her marriage to her late husband, David Willis.

Captain Rich Gabaldon, the commanding officer of the West LA station, said that the Willis family’s mother was a hugely important figure in both the West Los Angeles community and to the LAPD.

‘She is an icon here,’ he added.

As someone who’s seen firsthand the incredible dedication of community volunteers, I was so pleased to hear from former LAPD Chief Michel Moore about Marlene. He actually presented her with the LAPD Volunteer of the Year award previously, and he really emphasized just how much of a positive impact she’s had on the entire department. It’s wonderful to see such commitment recognized!

He explained that she’s referring to the most supportive people – those who truly appreciate the work of our military personnel.

Moore revealed that he once presented Marlene with her very own police badge.

I can’t officially make her a police officer, but I can give her a badge from the Law Center Police Department – a symbol of everything that represents being one.

Oh my gosh, you guys, I just saw this and I’m still reeling! Mr. Moore, the real Mr. Moore, he’s actually retired and living in Tennessee now – can you believe it? He actually spoke to Marlene directly! He gave this really sweet, genuine statement, and NBC Los Angeles shared it. It was just… everything. He really cares, you can just tell.

He told Marlene, “Some people make a real impact on your life, and you always remember them.”

You’ve truly excelled and made a fantastic impression. We are deeply grateful to you and appreciate all your hard work.

Marlene considers her colleagues at the LAPD to be like family, but she’s also very close to Willis, his current wife Emma, his former wife Demi, and their five children.

Last September, Marlene celebrated her 90th birthday with a big party at Il Pastaio in Beverly Hills. Her granddaughter, Tallulah Willis, shared photos from the celebration on Instagram.

Oh my gosh, Tallulah just posted the sweetest thing about her grandmother! She called her a ‘glamour-puss queen,’ which is just perfect, and shared the most adorable pictures from their time together. I’m officially obsessed with this whole family – they seem so close and fun! Seriously, Tallulah’s grandma is a total icon.

A photo captured Moore happily posing with Marlene, who was celebrating her birthday and wearing a sash and crown.

Demi Moore and Bruce Willis were married for thirteen years, from 1987 to 2000. They have three daughters together: Rumer, 37, Scout, 34, and Tallulah.

Will remarried in 2012 and has two daughters, Mabel, 13, and Evelyn, 11, with his wife, Emma. Emma is now caring for him as he struggles with dementia.

In 2023, Bruce Willis’s family shared that he was diagnosed with frontotemporal dementia (FTD). This type of dementia causes a quick loss of abilities related to personality and language, and he received the diagnosis at age 67.

Frontotemporal dementia (FTD) impacts the areas of the brain responsible for language, behavior, and personality. While it’s a type of dementia, unlike Alzheimer’s, people with FTD don’t typically experience memory loss right away. Instead, they often show noticeable changes in their personality.

This disease affects the parts of the brain that control good judgment, self-control, and making decisions. This can cause people with the disease to have trouble managing their money, which creates extra challenges for those caring for them.

Although Bruce Willis has retired from acting and largely withdrawn from public life, his family still shares updates about his health from time to time.

Bruce has reportedly moved into a separate, smaller home near his main house, where he receives around-the-clock care from a dedicated team. The news about the move, and his wife Emma, recently made headlines.

Emma revealed in a January interview on the ‘Conversations With Cam’ podcast that she frequently visits the actor.

She also claimed that her husband of 12 years is unaware of his dementia diagnosis. 

Last week, Willis celebrated his 71st birthday.

To mark the occasion of his birthday, Emma posted a heartwarming throwback photo on Instagram of Bruce Willis smiling by the water, with the caption, ‘Celebrating Bruce’s birthday today!’

She also took the opportunity to highlight her recently established charity, The Emma & Bruce Willis Fund, which she had announced the previous week.

She shared that going through frontotemporal dementia (FTD) has helped her understand the challenges many families experience.

This experience motivated me to establish The Emma & Bruce Willis Fund. Our goal is to increase understanding of frontotemporal dementia (FTD), fund vital research, and offer support to the dedicated caregivers who face immense challenges daily.

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2026-03-26 16:50