(OCEAN SPRINGS, Miss.) — Family and friends of Mississippi teenager Nolan Wells are gathering Monday for his funeral in his hometown of Ocean Springs as authorities continue to investigate the circumstances surrounding his death.
Wells’ mother, Christine Wonsley, said at the service at Center Pointe Church, “We thank you, Lord, for the beautiful 18 years that you blessed us with him.”
“Thank you for the joy he brought, not only to our family, but also to his friends and everyone in the community whose lives he touched,” Wonsley said with her husband, Rev. Al Sharpton and family civil rights attorney Ben Crump by her side.
“Nolan had such a gentle, calming spirit about him,” she said.
She described her son as protective and nurturing, noting that he hoped to have three daughters one day.
“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,” Wonsley said. “Your absence has left an emptiness that can never truly be filled — a piece of our hearts will always be missing.”
“We will continue to fight for you,” she said through tears.
Wells’ father, Elmore Wonsley, was overcome with emotion as he recalled his son’s excellence in football, telling the mourners, “I nicknamed you Mr. Cool Hands, because it seemed like you were catching a touchdown every game.”
“You wanted to be the best, so I poured all my knowledge into you that I could — by taking you to the gym to work out, taking you to the beach to do drills in the sand, teaching you how to watch film, how to study your opponents’ strengths and weaknesses. And you carried these teachings all the way through high school,” he said.
Elmore Wonsley thanked everyone for attending the funeral.
“Nolan meant a lot to a lot of people, and today just shows us how much he meant to the community, to the country and to the world,” he said.
Sharpton will eulogize Wells.
Director Spike Lee is among those attending the service, Sharpton said, and actor and director Tyler Perry is paying for the funeral.
The 18-year-old went missing on the 4th of July after going on a boat trip with his high school friends to the popular, undeveloped Horn Island, just south of Ocean Springs, Mississippi, according to officials and Crump.
“[The friends] left [Horn Island] and went back without Nolan,” Jackson County Sheriff John Ledbetter said. “From what we understand, he chose to stay there.”
Wells’ body was recovered two days later, according to officials.
Authorities said they believe the college football player drowned and don’t suspect foul play, but the sheriff’s office stressed that investigators are “working diligently to determine exactly what occurred.”
Wells’ family is desperate for answers and sent his body to Washington, D.C., for an independent autopsy, Crump noted.
Ledbetter told ABC News that the sheriff’s office welcomes the family’s independent investigation.
“By all means, that’s more information looking into the death of Nolan that will be made available and another set of eyes looking at it,” he said.
“We’re working towards the same goal as the family — we want a thorough investigation,” the sheriff said.
Wonsley told ABC News her son was a “bright light,” recalling that “his smile, his energy was just, just so infectious.”
“He was just a genuinely a good person,” she said
Copyright © 2026, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.
