OCEAN SPRINGS, Miss. — Nolan Wells, the Mississippi teenager whose death after a Fourth of July boating trip with friends has spurred national attention, was remembered Monday as a “gentle, calming spirit” during a funeral that attracted hundreds.
“I want to give all thanks and honor and glory to God for choosing Elmore and me to be Nolan’s parents,” Wells’ mother, Christine Wells-Wonsley, said at the funeral at Center Pointe Church. “We thank you, Lord, for the beautiful 18 years that you blessed us with him.”
Hours before the funeral service in Ocean Springs, which began just after noon local time, people were seen waiting in line, including nearly all of Wells’ high school football teammates. Many of the mourners were seen dressed in black and blue — the colors of Wells’ high school team — per the family’s request.
Ahead of the service, a slideshow of photos of Wells, his friends and his family was played alongside gospel music. The Rev. Al Sharpton delivered the eulogy, and the Wells family’s attorney, Ben Crump, issued a call for justice and asked those with information to come forward.
“Until we get to truth, until we get to justice, we gonna stand up and we gonna keep ringing the justice bells for Nolan Wells,” Crump said, before chanting “Justice for Nolan Wells!”
Wells, 18, went missing on July 4 after traveling to Mississippi’s Horn Island for the holiday. His body was found on the shores of Mississippi’s Horn Island days later, spurring an investigation that has yielded few public answers.
“Nolan had such a gentle, calming spirit about him. He had a way of making people feel seen, welcome and valued,” Wells-Wonsley said. “He could lift your confidence with just a few words and make you feel like you belonged.”
Wells-Wonsley called her son “protective and nurturing” and spoke about how he once told her he wanted three daughters.
“Your absence has left an emptiness that can never truly be filled,” she said, directly addressing Wells. “In a world that can often feel dark, be like Nolan, be the light that brightens the lives of those around you.”
Elmore Wonsley, Wells’ father, also spoke, noting how proud he was of his son, who, he called a model for his younger brothers.
“You grew up to be a very young man that everyone enjoyed to be around,” Wonsley said, also noting his son was often kind to his peers in school.
In his eulogy, Sharpton also called for unbiased answers and justice related to Wells’ death. He announced that he would offer a $50,000 reward to anyone who provides information leading to an arrest and conviction in Wells’ case.
Tyler Perry, who paid for the funeral, also said he would offer $50,000 for information, Sharpton said at the end of the service. Spike Lee and Terrell Owens also attended the Mississippi funeral.
Following the funeral, Crump spoke to media alongside Wells’ parents, again demanding answers.
Ahead of the service, others who knew Wells spoke about his life and his character.
Wells was “a great young man to coach, and we’re going to miss him dearly for it,” Ocean Springs High School head coach Jake Bramlett told NBC News ahead of Wells’ funeral. “But a little bit of his life that we got to be a part of was outstanding.”
Bramlett described how important it was for the team to show up and support their former teammate, noting that “they’ve done a great job with supporting Nolan’s younger siblings that are on the football team.”
A number of the current players “were brought up under [Wells’] wing,” Bramlett said. “He taught them how to act in the locker room, how to act in the weight room, how to perform on the football field, and that’s just who Nolan was.”
Wells’ parents said at a news conference last week that a “party” celebrating Wells will be held at the Jackson County Fairgrounds for friends, family members and Wells’ teammates following the funeral service.
“What we’re going to do is kind of have a party to celebrate him,” Wells-Wonsley said of her son Wednesday. “We want to celebrate him, and he would not want us to be sitting around crying and eating.”
The service comes weeks after Wells and a group of friends went to Horn Island, off the coast of Mississippi, to celebrate July 4. The friends returned to the mainland later that afternoon and told police Wells opted to stay behind, saying he would catch a ride back later with others.
When he didn’t return home that night, his mother reported him missing around midnight. A U.S. park ranger found Wells’ body on the northwest shore of Horn Island on July 6.
It remains unclear how Wells died. Officials have not yet released an autopsy report as the investigation into the circumstances surrounding his death intensified.
Crump and Wells’ parents have said they are leading their own investigation into his death and performed an independent autopsy on Wells. Crump thanked Colin Kaepernick for paying for the independent autopsy at the news conference Wednesday.
