Social media outpouring honors local victim who died in DC mid-air collision

WASHINGTON — People across the country took to social media this week to share ways that flight attendant Ian Epstein impacted their lives over the years. Epstein died in Wednesday’s Washington, D.C., mid-air collision.

Here’s just a handful of posts we’ve seen across social media over the past 24 hours:

Epstein, a former Camping World salesman and current flight attendant, was known for his ability to make people smile.

“Ian Epstein made everyone smile,” said those who knew him.

His former coworkers at Camping World in Concord praised his skills as one of the best salesmen in the company.

“He was really very talented in getting people what they wanted, just making them feel at ease, comfortable, like they were a part of his family,” said Jennifer Cagle, a former coworker.

That’s why she wasn’t surprised at his decision to become a flight attendant. Technician David Davis says Epstein was an adventurer who would go above and beyond for anyone he met.

“He just always goes the extra mile, you know, to really just help them out,” Davis said.

Clint Grant told Channel 9 that every time Ian Epstein was his flight attendant, he always knew there would be humor on board.

“All of a sudden, this guy just pops out of nowhere and takes the mic, and he starts cracking jokes and poking fun,” Grant said. “He greeted everybody with levity, with humor, with light, and he was just, just, just a, seem to be a great guy.”

Grant said his first flight with Epstein was supposed to be a quick 30-minute trip from Knoxville to Charlotte, but it quickly turned into a 45-minute delay.

He said there was only one person who made the waiting period a bit easier to get through.

“The fact that there was a delay—poking fun at, you know, the fact that we had to stand around. And how, you know, much of a nuisance it was. Completely changed the energy of the entire concourse,” said Grant. “My heart goes out to him and his family and, you know, all the others that were lost on this, you know, tragic event.”

WATCH BELOW: Wendy Shaffer, a mother of two young children, was a passenger onboard the flight

Wendy Shaffer, a mother of two young children, was a passenger onboard the flight.

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