The funeral of Ian Douglas Epstein — a Jewish flight attendant who perished on American Airlines Flight 5342 — will take place Wednesday, February 5 at Chabad of Charlotte, North Carolina. Epstein, who lived in Charlotte, was one of 67 people killed in the midair collision above the Potomac River.

“I had met Ian on a number of flights,” said Rabbi Yossi Groner, who directs Chabad of the Carolinas. “Although he wasn’t very affiliated, he was always warm and friendly. He knew so much about Chabad, he told me, because his sister and brother-in-law attend Chabad of Union County, New Jersey.”

After one Charlotte-bound flight, Rabbi Groner invited Epstein to visit Chabad of Charlotte and put on tefillin. “He had a demanding flying schedule, but he said, ‘One day I’ll come,’” Groner related. “Unfortunately, the one day he is coming is for his own funeral.”