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Retired Teacher Shares Insider Scoop on Tom Hanks and Rita Wilson's Family Life
21 Oct
Summary
- Lily Reeves, Rita Wilson's older sister, recalls Wilson introducing Hanks to the family
- Reeves has attended major Hollywood events thanks to her famous in-laws' generosity
- Hanks helped raise Reeves' daughters as a father figure
As of October 21st, 2025, Lily Reeves, a 72-year-old retired elementary school teacher from Pacific Palisades, California, is opening up about her famous in-laws, Tom Hanks and Rita Wilson. Reeves, the older sister of Rita Wilson, recalls the early days when Wilson first introduced Hanks to the family after his breakout film roles.
"I remember when she did Volunteers and she came home after the movie and she just went, 'Yeah, I think I really like this guy, you know?'" Reeves tells PEOPLE. At the time, Hanks was not yet a major Hollywood star. Reeves describes the couple as "very, very humble people" who have tried to raise their children without spoiling them.
Thanks to her connection to the power couple, Reeves has had the opportunity to attend prestigious events like the Oscars, Golden Globes, and Emmys, experiences she could never have afforded on a teacher's salary. Reeves also shares that Hanks played an active role in helping raise her own daughters, serving as a positive adult figure in their lives.
"[My daughters] saw Tom more than, really, their dad a lot of the time," Reeves says. "And, you know, he was there kind of as an adult, a good adult figure for my daughters to look up to also. And so I appreciate that too. He's been wonderful."
