A FAREWELL TO OUR ANGEL: REMEMBERING WONDREA GILMORE

There are some stories you never imagine having to write. This is one of them.

As Editor-in-Chief of Queen Size Magazine, I have had the privilege of meeting so many incredible people over the years. Some come into your life through business. Some become friends. And then there are those rare people whose spirit leaves an imprint on you simply because you had the privilege of knowing them. Wondrea Gilmore was one of those people.

To know Wondrea was to love her. I don't say that lightly. She was genuinely loved by everyone. She had this way of making people feel seen, supported and encouraged. It didn't matter where you were in your journey or what title you carried. If Wondrea met you, she poured life into you. She celebrated people. She encouraged people. She reminded people of who they were, sometimes at the very moment they needed to hear it most.

And if you needed prayer, Wondrea would pray.

She was a praying woman, and she was never shy about her faith. Wondrea didn't just tell you she would pray for you and then go on about her day. She would pray with you. She believed in the power of prayer, and she wasn't afraid to call on God on somebody else's behalf. In an industry where so much attention is placed on what people look like, what they have accomplished and who knows their name, Wondrea always understood that there was something greater than all of it.

What makes that even more remarkable is that Wondrea had every reason to walk into a room and remind you of her résumé. That résumé was impressive.

She built a successful career as a plus-size model, actress and content creator. As a model, she appeared in publications including EBONY, Essence, Cosmopolitan, PLUS Model Magazine, OMIGAWD Magazine and Kontrol Magazine. She worked with major brands including Ashley Stewart, Fashion Nova, SKIMS, Fashion to Figure and Curverra.

Then there was Wondrea the actress. She continued to expand herself beyond fashion and modeling, appearing in projects such as Pretty For A Big Gurl, where she played Mercy, as well as Turf and Shuttered Secrets. She was building a body of work that proved what those of us who knew her already understood: Wondrea was never meant to be placed inside one box.

But none of it changed her.

That's the part I want people to remember.

The covers didn't change her. The campaigns didn't change her. The acting credits didn't change her. The recognition didn't change her. The followers didn't change her. Wondrea could accomplish something incredible and still be the same woman who would turn around and encourage someone else. She could be celebrated in one moment and spend the next moment celebrating somebody else.

In 2024, we had the honor of recognizing Wondrea at The Full Figured Industry Awards, where she won Outstanding Plus Model. For those of us who had watched her work, watched her consistency and watched the career she had built, the recognition felt long overdue. I was proud to see her receive her flowers. Sometimes an award isn't about telling someone that they have finally become great. Sometimes it is simply the rest of us finally catching up and acknowledging the greatness that has been there all along.

That was Wondrea.

Her impact also extended far beyond the runway. She was a graduate of Miles College, where she was crowned the 74th Miss Miles College, and the college later recognized her as part of its inaugural 50 Under 50 class for alumni achievement, leadership and service. She remained connected to the institution and continued pouring back into the community that helped shape her. Again, that tells you everything you need to know about her. Wondrea never believed that moving forward meant forgetting where you came from.

But this cover is especially difficult for me.

The last time Wondrea and I spoke, we were talking about this very moment.

She was preparing for her photo shoot to grace the cover of Queen Size Magazine.

We were supposed to be celebrating this cover with her.

I keep thinking about that conversation. I keep thinking about the excitement surrounding what was coming next. Neither of us could have known that the September cover would ultimately become something so different. What was supposed to celebrate another chapter in Wondrea's journey has become our opportunity to celebrate the entirety of the beautiful life and legacy she gave us.

I just wish she could see it now.

I wish she could see herself on this cover. I wish she could see how beautiful she looks. I wish she could hear the conversations being had about the lives she touched. I wish she could see just how many people loved her, although knowing Wondrea, I believe she knew she was loved. More importantly, she made sure the people around her knew they were loved too.

There is a lesson in that for all of us.

We spend so much time chasing the next accomplishment. The next opportunity. The next cover. The next award. The next level. And Wondrea certainly pursued her dreams. She worked. She showed up. She built an incredible career. But somewhere along the way, she also understood something far more important: none of those things mean nearly as much as how you treat people while you're becoming who you are meant to be.

Titles eventually belong to somebody else. Awards collect dust. Social media moves on to the next thing. But the way you made someone feel stays with them.

Wondrea left that kind of legacy.

She leaves behind photographs, magazine features, campaigns, films, videos, awards and accomplishments that document an extraordinary career. But those things only tell part of her story. Her real legacy lives in the people who can say, She encouraged me. She supported me. She prayed for me. She believed in me. She poured into me.

Those are the accolades that will never fit on a résumé.

Wondrea, Queen Size Magazine was supposed to give you this cover so you could hold it in your hands and celebrate another well-deserved accomplishment. Instead, we give you this cover as our love letter, our thank you and our promise that you will not be forgotten.

Thank you for the light you brought into this industry. Thank you for showing women who looked like you that there was room for them too. Thank you for your professionalism, your talent, your laughter, your faith and your friendship. Thank you for every prayer you prayed over someone else. Thank you for every person you encouraged when you didn't have to. Thank you for remaining Wondrea through every level of success.

You were loved while you were here.

You are loved now.

And you will be remembered.

Rest beautifully, Wondrea.

I wish you could see your cover.

images by Mel G