Army captain from suburbs among the dead in Ethiopian Airlines crash

MATTESON, Ill. (AP) - The mother of a U.S. Army captain from suburban Chicago says her son was "doing what he loved to do" before he died in the crash of Ethiopian Airlines Flight 302.

Antoine Lewis was one of 157 people who died in the crash Sunday of the Boeing 737 Max 8 aircraft. The plane crashed shortly after taking off for Nairobi, Kenya from Addis Ababa, killing people from 35 countries.

Antoinette Lewis of Matteson says her 39-year-old son was stationed in Ottawa, Canada and was on vacation to do Christian missionary work in Ethiopia. She said his passion was "just to make a better world."

Family members say Lewis eventually planned to start a business or charity and build a home in Africa following his retirement from the military.

Father Rodney Lewis says his son entered the military as an enlisted man and moved up through the ranks. He leaves behind a wife, also in the military, and a 15-year-old son.