Flight attendant killed in midair collision near D.C. to be honored in service Wednesday A flight attendant who was killed in the midair collision last week near the nation’s capital was set to be remembered for his devotion to family and passion for travel on Wednesday, as Ian Epstein's family and others start to hold memorials for loved ones who were among the 67 victims in the deadliest U.S. air disaster since 2001.
A public vigil was also planned Wednesday to honor all of the lives lost following the collision between the American Airlines passenger jet and the Army Black Hawk helicopter near Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport.
Prior to leading Epstein's service, Rabbi Yossi Groner said people had been sharing online videos of Epstein in their encounters with him as a flight attendant because of his funny style and engaging words.
Groner said that although those who lost loved ones in the collision face unfathomable pain, the soul is eternal and the victims didn't 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 Press.
