OCEAN SPRINGS, Miss. \u2014 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 \u201cgentle, calming spirit\u201d during a funeral that attracted hundreds. <\/p>\n
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\u201cI want to give all thanks and honor and glory to God for choosing Elmore and me to be Nolan\u2019s parents,\u201d Wells\u2019 mother, Christine Wells-Wonsley, said at the funeral at Center Pointe Church. \u201cWe thank you, Lord, for the beautiful 18 years that you blessed us with him.\u201d <\/p>\n
Hours before the funeral service in Ocean Springs, Mississippi, which began just after noon local time, people were seen waiting in line, including nearly all of Wells\u2019 high school football teammates. Many of the mourners were seen dressed in black and blue \u2014 the colors of Wells\u2019 high school team \u2014 per the family\u2019s request. <\/p>\n
Ahead of the service, a slideshow of photos of Wells, his friends, and his family was played alongside gospel music. Rev. Al Sharpton delivered the eulogy, and the Wells family\u2019s attorney, Ben Crump, issued a call for justice and asked those with information to come forward. <\/p>\n
\u201cUntil we get to truth, until we get to justice, we gonna stand up and we gonna keep ringing the justice bells for Nolan Wells,\u201d Crump said, before chanting \u201cJustice for Nolan Wells!\u201d<\/p>\n
Wells, 18, went missing on July 4 after traveling to Mississippi\u2019s Horn Island<\/a> for the holiday. His body was found on the shores of Mississippi\u2019s Horn Island<\/a> days later, spurring an investigation that has yielded few public answers. <\/a><\/p>\n \u201cNolan had such a gentle, calming spirit about him. He had a way of making people feel seen, welcome, and valued,\u201d Wells-Wonsley said. \u201cHe could lift your confidence with just a few words, and make you feel like you belonged.\u201d <\/p>\n Wells-Wonsley called her son \u201cprotective and nurturing\u201d and spoke about how he once told her he wanted three daughters.<\/p>\n \u201cYour absence has left an emptiness that can never truly be filled,\u201d she said, directly addressing Wells. \u201cIn a world that can often feel dark, be like Nolan, be the light that brightens the lives of those around you.\u201d<\/p>\n Elmore Wonsley, Wells\u2019 father, also spoke, noting how proud he was of his son, who he called a model for his younger brothers. <\/p>\n \u201cYou give up to be a very young man that everyone enjoyed to be around,\u201d Wonsley said, also noting his son was often kind to his peers in school. <\/p>\n In his eulogy, Sharpton also called for unbiased answers and justice related to Wells\u2019 death. He announced that he would offer a $50,000 reward to anyone who provides information leading to an arrest and conviction in Wells\u2019 case. <\/p>\n 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.<\/p>\n Following the funeral, Crump spoke to media, again demanding truth and answers. <\/p>\n Ahead of the service, others who knew Wells spoke about his life and his character.<\/p>\n Wells was \u201ca great young man to coach, and we\u2019re going to miss him dearly for it,\u201d Ocean Springs High School head coach Jake Bramlett told NBC News ahead of Wells\u2019 funeral. \u201cBut a little bit of his life that we got to be a part of was outstanding.\u201d<\/p>\n Bramlett described how important it was for the team to show up and support their former teammate, noting that \u201cthey\u2019ve done a great job with supporting Nolan\u2019s younger siblings that are on the football team.\u201d<\/p>\n A number of the current players \u201cwere brought up under [Wells\u2019] wing,\u201d Bramlett said. \u201cHe 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\u2019s just who Nolan was.\u201d<\/p>\n Wells\u2019 parents said at a press conference last week that a \u201cparty\u201d celebrating Wells will be held at the Jackson County Fairgrounds for friends, family and Wells\u2019 teammates following the funeral service. <\/p>\n \u201cWhat we\u2019re going to do is kind of have a party to celebrate him,\u201d Wells-Wonsley said of her son Wednesday. \u201cWe want to celebrate him, and he would not want us to be sitting around crying and eating.\u201d <\/p>\n 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<\/a> later that afternoon and told police Wells opted to stay behind, saying he would catch a ride back later with others. <\/p>\n When he didn\u2019t return home that night, his mother reported him missing around midnight. A U.S. park ranger found Wells\u2019 body<\/a> on the northwest shore of Horn Island on July 6. <\/p>\n It remains unclear<\/a> how Wells died. Officials have not yet released an autopsy report as the investigation<\/a> into the circumstances surrounding his death intensified. <\/p>\n![\"Nolan](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/260720-nolan-wells-funeral-mn-1105-971b94.jpg\")
Football teammates attend the memorial service.Gerald Herbert \/ AP<\/p>\n![\"Nolan](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/260720-nolan-wells-mn-1115-58f3c6.jpg\")
Nolan Wells with his coach, Jake Bramlett.Courtesy Jake Bramlett<\/p>\n![\"Nolan](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/260710-nolan-wells-mn-1535-74c046.jpg\")
Nolan Wells with his parents.Courtesy Wells family<\/p>\n