CHARLOTTE, N.C. — Colleagues at Charlotte Douglas International Airport welcomed back the body of Ian Epstein Monday night with a water cannon salute.

The spirited flight attendant died last Wednesday when the flight he was on collided with a military helicopter above the Washington D.C. area.

Rabbi Yossi Groner, of the Chabad of Charlotte, will lead Epstein's funeral services on Wednesday. He says the two met several times on different flights.

“His smile and his friendly words. He was always warm, and he made you feel as if he was your long-lost best friend,” he said. “He was a very friendly man. And, it’s coming out now in the public as well. But, he always made passengers feel at ease.”

Sixty-six others also died in the crash. Groner says his heart goes out not only to Epstein but everyone aboard American Airlines Flight 5342. 

“People being on a flight and expecting to land, and then out of nowhere there’s this explosion and it goes down — but knowing that there was someone there that I met just brought it closer to home,” he said.

And, even though Epstein was not a Chabad member, Groner says he came to love and respect the culture through his sister and brother-in-law who attended a Chabad in the Northeast.

“A Chabad rabbi from New Jersey called me as soon as we knew the name, and we started making the arrangements,” he said.

Epstein’s obituary says “his love for life was infectious.” It goes on to say — “his warmth, kindness, and sense of humor will be missed deeply by all who knew him."

Epstein’s private burial will follow the funeral for close family and friends.