SerpApi.Org
On the morning of July 20, the Wells-Wonsley family celebrated the life and legacy of their son and brother, Nolan Wells. After weeks of an ongoing investigation, supporters gathered at Center Pointe Church in Ocean Springs, Mississippi, alongside Wells’ family to reflect on his life. Under the guidance of Rev. Ted Pagel, Jr., the service went on without a hitch.
As a gallery of photos filled the church’s screen, Nolan could be seen throughout his life’s journey, from a child to a teenager, surrounded by family and friends. The service opened with the Lord’s Prayer by Rev. along with scriptural reading from the Bible, and musical renditions of “Blessed Assurance” and “Trust in God”.
Prior to Rev. Al Sharpton’s delivery of the eulogy, he allowed space for Christine and Elmore Wonsley to speak more about their son, Nolan. “If you ever had the privilege of meeting our son Nolan or calling him a friend, then you experienced a glimpse of God’s love through him […] He had a deep love for the Lord and an unwavering faith that was evident in the way that he lived his life. As much as our hearts are broken, we find peace in knowing our son is resting in the arms of the Lord. We will miss everything about him, from his quiet nature to the corny jokes, his gentle smile, the way he made everyone around him feel comfortable, loved and at ease. Your absence has left an emptiness that can never truly be filled. A piece of our hearts will always be missing,” his mother reminisced through tears as she thanked the Lord for allowing her and her husband to be Nolan’s parents.
Meanwhile, Nolan’s father, Elmore Wonsley, shared more about watching his son’s journey as an athlete. From crawling backward as a toddler to developing his athletic skills and taking pride in his preparation, Wonsley made it a point to celebrate his son’s accomplishments and work ethic.
“I want to start off by saying how proud I am of you, my son. You grew up to be a young man that everyone enjoyed to be around. The constant lectures from me about having character, self respect, self discipline, and perseverance really hit home with you at an early age,” he said. “These were the things that I had to live through to pass down to you and your siblings. You wanted to be the best so I poured all my knowledge into you that I could by taking you to the gym to workout, taking you the the beach to do drills in the sand, teaching you how to watch film, how to study your opponent’s strengths and weaknesses and you carried these teachings all throughout high school and had an amazing run. Also, during that time, you made a lot of friends, you helped a lot of people and became well liked by a lot of people. It really warmed me and your mother’s heart when we would get a phone call or email from a teacher talking about something that you did for a fellow student. All the teachers loved Nolan.”
Both of his parents made it a point to share his desire for a successful future by caring for him and even wanting to have a family of their own one day as a girl dad. Along with the love and support he had for his siblings and those he came in contact with, he wanted them to also do and be their very best.
Soon after their remarks, Sharpton delivered the eulogy, as initially promised during a press conference earlier this month. During the address, he emphasized people’s support and encouragement for the family. He also mentioned wanting to rewrite the narrative that Mississippi has of having more racially-charged incidents go on. “For an 18-year-old young man to no longer be with us, we want answers. Not biased either way, just answers. I think that for the family the closure can come if there is justice. We will see where it goes. Some have prejudged; I do not think it is appropriate for either side of opinions to prevail without a backup and fair investigation. We cannot say it was racist, but we cannot say it was not racist, so let’s not judge either way until all the evidence is in,” he said.
The hate mail that the Wells-Wonsley family received prior to the funeral proceedings was also addressed as the note called out an alleged money grab and the push to let the case go. During Sharpton’s eulogy, he addressed rumors that he and attorney Crump were out for money, explaining that neither of them receives any money for the cases they’ve helped with and, in some cases, have volunteered to pay for memorial services for victims. To prove his point even further, he put out a call to action for a monetary reward for anyone with information on the case.
“On behalf of myself and National Action Network, I want to offer a reward of $50,000 for anybody that will give the information that will lead to an arrest and conviction in the case of what happened. He was not on that island by himself, somebody saw something and knows something. So I didn’t come to make money, I came to give money. Stand up and tell the truth, whatever it is good or bad. We’re not going to prejudge it, but we cannot end it until we know all the facts,” Sharpton explained. Tyler Perry matched Sharpton’s bold move with an additional $50,000, making for a total of $100,000 reward for anyone willing to come forward. Perry also paid for the funeral arrangements.
In his remarks to attendees, attorney Ben Crump emphasized the importance of Nolan’s life and said he, along with his legal team, will continue to fight for justice and seek answers for the family. He opened his remarks by saying “justice for Nolan Wells” repeatedly before diving deeper into his remarks on getting to the truth.
“We’re all co-councils. Anybody who’s seeking the truth of what happened to Nolan Wells is I want you all to know that you’re our co-councils. […] We stand for transparency because we don’t need law enforcement to narrate because we want transparency because we can see. We don’t need them to tell us what they think, and that’s why we need all of you to encourage people who were on Horn Island on July 4th. If you took a picture, if you have a video, if you have Snapchat, if you have anything, we are pleading on behalf of Elmore and especially on behalf of Christine. As she said, any parent would want the answers on what happened to their child.”
The service struck a dynamic balance between celebrating Nolan’s life while holding space for accountability for those in attendance or watching who may still have insight as the investigation continues. The heartfelt tribute and corralling of supporters helped to provide comfort to Nolan’s parents while they remain hopeful for justice to prevail. Before the service closed, Christine Wonsley left attendees with parting words that left a lasting impression.
“In a world that can often feel dark, be like Nolan. Be the light that brightens the lives of those around you. Be the warmth for those who may be feeling the coldness of the world. Love deeply, protect fiercely, and welcome others with kindness, and remain faithful knowing that God is always with you. Lastly, I ask that each of you keep Nolan’s memory alive. Hold him close in your hearts, share his stories, and never stop saying his name. As long as we continue to remember him, his light will continue to shine through us all. Nolan we love you and we will continue to fight for you, and until we meet again, and thank you all for coming,” Wonsley emotionally closed.
Alongside Nolan’s family members, classmates, and teammates, some public figures were also present at the funeral, including former star football player Terrell Owens, filmmaker Spike Lee, and James Wilburn, who is the father of the late Sonya Massey.
Directly after the funeral, there was a press conference held with attorney Ben Crump, Rev. Al Sharpton, and the Wells-Wonsley family. While there is a local rally being held on July 26, the Wells’ mother confirmed that they are not the organizers of the event but that they’re supporting them in their efforts to keep Nolan’s name alive. They also confirmed that there will be plans to create a foundation and/or scholarship in Nolan’s honor once the case settles and the family has recovered.
At this time, autopsy results have not been revealed by Mississippi legal officials or from the investigation by Ben Crump’s legal team to determine a cause of death. There has also not been a timeline determined for mutual inspections of both Nolan’s and his friends who he was with on the trip.
