Nancy Hubbard’s Quiet Heroism Keeps Glen Rock’s Mail and Spirit Moving

At the Glen Rock Post Office, there’s someone who doesn’t just sort the mail,  she rescues it.

For 35 years, Nancy Hubbard has worked for the United States Postal Service, beginning as a letter carrier before becoming a clerk in the Glen Rock and Ridgewood area. But it’s her unofficial title that Glen Rock residents might think of most often: mail detective.

Known for her uncanny ability to decode smudged ink, reroute lost letters, and track down former residents, Hubbard has become a beloved figure in town not just for what she does, but for how deeply she cares.

Whether it’s deciphering a rain-soaked envelope from Louisiana with only a faint “Pinelynn” left visible or launching a public search to deliver a letter to someone who once lived on Hazelhurst, Hubbard’s efforts regularly appear on the Glen Rockers Facebook group, where she posts updates and asks for help from the community. Her posts consistently generate a flood of appreciative comments, with neighbors calling her “the best,” “a gem,” and “a true Glen Rock treasure.”

She’s been described as someone who "always looks out for us" and goes “above and beyond for Glen Rock.” Residents frequently thank her for her updates on safety issues, including warnings about check thefts from local USPS mailboxes. She has alerted the community to increased criminal activity targeting public mailboxes, urging neighbors to bring their outgoing mail inside the post office.

For Hubbard, this work is more than a job. “I’ve always been interested in finding where incorrectly addressed letters and packages should go,” she wrote to The Glen Rock Roundup. “I’ve only given up a handful of times.” With the help of tools like Facebook, intuition, and sometimes just old-fashioned persistence, she solves one postal mystery after another.

Born and raised in Hackensack, Hubbard holds a Criminal Justice degree from Glassboro State (now Rowan University). Her curiosity, attention to detail, and deep sense of care have followed her throughout her career. Outside of work, she’s passionate about animals, books, and meeting people she admires, from soap opera actors to her favorite writers and comedians.

There’s a deeper layer to her kindness. Nancy’s twin sister, Penny, died of COVID-19 in January 2021, and their mother passed just eight days later. Nancy has said she still feels her sister’s presence and guidance, a quiet strength that seems to echo in her every act of care.

In a world where neighbors often don’t know each other’s names, Nancy Hubbard has become someone everyone in Glen Rock seems to know. And trust.

Walk into the Glen Rock Post Office and you’ll find more than just stamps. If Nancy’s at the counter, thank her. And if you’re up for some magic, ask if she knows where you live. She just might. She’s been known to match a name to a Glen Rock address faster than most directories. That’s our Nancy.