CHARLOTTE, N.C. — A flight attendant who was killed in the midair collision last week near the nation’s capital was remembered Wednesday for his devotion to family and passion for travel, 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.

The celebration of life for Epstein took place at the Chabad Center for Jewish Life in Charlotte. The 53-year-old 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 world.

Epstein’s 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 tuna.

Debra Epstein said her husband’s 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 love,” his wife said.

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. The crash killed everyone on board both aircraft.

Rabbi 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 said.

“His 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 said.

A number of flight attendants in uniform were at the service. Southmayd, 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 U.S. commercial flight hadn’t experienced a fatal crash in over 15 years, that safety depends on them trusting and working with each other.

The services came 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 but one of victims has been identified.

Sixty passengers and four crew were on the American Airlines flight from Wichita, Kansas, including figure skaters returning from the 2025 U.S. Figure Skating Championships there.

The Black Hawk was on a training mission. Army Staff Sgt. Ryan Austin O’Hara, 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 aboard.

Jonathan Mattise contributed from Nashville, Tennessee.

previous coverage

• Figure skating event benefiting victims of DC plane crash to take place in Washington in March
• Remains of all 67 victims of midair collision near DC recovered as NTSB probes altitude data
• Salvage crews recover engine, large portion of jet from river after deadly air collision near DC
• Officials say remains of 55 of 67 victims of midair collision have been recovered and identified
• Recovery crews return to the Potomac debris after the deadly plane and helicopter crash
• Afghanistan veteran, pilot who served in the Navy were two of three soldiers killed in Army helicopter’s midair crash over DC
• ‘Heartbreaking’ search for those killed in DC air crash as Army helicopter’s black box recovered
• Collision of Army helicopter and jetliner kills 67 in deadliest US air disaster in almost quarter century
• ‘Tragically, last night, a mistake was made’: Pentagon halts flights as Army helicopter collides midair with commercial jet over DC