Flight attendant killed in midair collision near D.C. honoured with service

A flight attendant who was killed in the midair collision last week near the nations capital was remembered Wednesday for his devotion to family and passion for travel as Ian Epsteins family and others start to hold memorials for loved ones who were among the 67 victims in the deadliest US air disaster since 2001The celebration of life for Epstein took place at the Chabad Center for Jewish Life in Charlotte The 53yearold was described as a loving father stepfather husband brother and uncle with a career that afforded him the opportunity to connect with people and explore the worldEpsteins daughters and wife spoke about a doting father with a love of adventure Debra Epstein called her husband her fifth child on trips to Disney World His daughters remembered a dad helping them overcome their fears or trying to make a meal out of tunaDebra Epstein said her husbands schedule changed moving him to the flight that crashed But she said she thinks he was still supposed to be there We believe he was supposed to be on that flight because it was full of laughter and fun before the tragedy his wife saidThe celebration was filled with people in pilot and flight attendant uniforms and the familys friends Dozens of people including elected officials and first responders gathered at an Alexandria Virginia park for a public vigil later Wednesday to honor all of the lives lost following the collision between the AmericanAirlines passenger jet and the Army Black Hawk helicopter The crash near Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport killed everyone on board both aircraftRabbi Yossi Groner noted the videos that poured in on social media showing Epstein calming cranky babies joking with passengers and making a routine flight special Epstein had both a warmth and humility that made him one of those people who just glowed Groner saidHis true joy in life was helping those around him Groner said Lynne Southmayd went to flight attendant training with Epstein five years ago It was a tough stressful time but Epstein was the light of the entire class He could make us laugh no matter how hard we were crying Southmayd saidSouthmayd who no longer has the job but flew from Delaware to celebrate her friend said they bonded even more because while their job remains very safe and a US commercial flight hadnt experienced a fatal crash in over 15 years that safety depends on them trusting and working with each otherPrior to leading Epsteins service Groner said that although those who lost loved ones in the collision face unfathomable pain the soul is eternal and the victims didnt live a life in vain The message is that whatever they accomplished in life the positive things they did that we would like to carry on for the future and know that there will be a better world in the future Groner told The Associated PressThe services were happening a day after federal officials confirmed that the remains of all of the victims have been recovered The cause of the crash which sent both aircraft into the Potomac River remains under investigation All of the victims have been identified and their remains are being returned to their familiesSalvage crews continued to pull pieces of the plane out of the Potomac River on Wednesday that investigators took to a hanger so they could examine them for clues about what caused the crash A wing with the wheels extended was one of the biggest pieces pulled from the water along with part of the planes fuselage and an engineSixty passengers and four crew were on the American Airlines flight from Wichita Kansas including figure skaters returning from the 2025 US Figure Skating Championships there The Black Hawk was on a training mission Army Staff Sgt Ryan Austin OHara 28 of Lilburn Georgia Chief Warrant Officer 2 Andrew Loyd Eaves 39 of Great Mills Maryland and Capt Rebecca M Lobach of Durham North Carolina were aboardThis story has been sourced from a third party syndicated feed agencies Midday accepts no responsibility or liability for its dependability trustworthiness reliability and data of the text Midday managementmiddaycom reserves the sole right to alter delete or remove without notice the content in its absolute discretion for any reason whatsoever