Coronavirus Update: Stockton Nurse Dies From COVID-19 Complications
LODI (CBS13) — A 57-year-old Stockton nurse died from coronavirus complications Tuesday.
Jeffery Baumbach was a nurse at St. Joseph's Medical Center in Stockton. According to his daughter, he loved traveling with his family, rewatching his favorite movies, and doing puzzles.
"My dad was a role model for everyone in the family. He loved my mom and all four of us kids. All his friends from work told me that he would always talk about us and was so proud of us," Jeffery's daughter, Kaila said.
In mid-March, Jeffery tested positive for COVID-19. He had recently traveled to New York to visit family and self-quarantined when he got back home to Lodi.
He passed away Tuesday. Family members say he also had an underlying health issue.
READ: Nevada County Reports First Coronavirus-Related Death
Jeffery's wife Karen is also a nurse who works at Adventist Health Lodi Memorial. Karen has COVID-19 as well but is recovering from the virus.
Kaila told CBS13 her father was the kind of person who "always made sure that everyone was okay and always would have an answer to any problem."
She'll remember him as always making jokes and telling stories that make people laugh.
St. Joseph's is a Kaiser affiliate. Kaiser Central Valley Senior Vice President Corwin Harper issued a statement about Jeffery's death Friday.
ALSO: Flattening The Curve: Experts Say California Is Doing Better Than Projected
"Kaiser Permanente is mourning the loss of our employee, Jeffrey Baumbach, who recently passed away as a result of COVID-19 complications. We share the grief and extend our condolences to his family and friends on the loss of their loved one, who dedicated his professional life to helping patients and families manage their medical needs," Harper wrote.
On Wednesday, dozens of people parked in front of the family's home in Lodi and turned on their cell phone lights in support of the family.
According to the San Joaquin County Public Health Department, 185 people have tested positive for COVID-19 as of Friday evening. Eleven deaths have been reported in the county.