State College teacher who died unexpectedly remembered as ‘wonderful and compassionate’

A third grade teacher at Mount Nittany Elementary School died in her home Wednesday night, according to the State College Area School District.

Nancy Ulba, 38, reportedly had not been feeling well the past few days, said Ferguson Township police Chief Chris Albright. Her death is not being investigated as suspicious, he said.

It appeared she died of natural causes, and “there was no sign of a struggle,” he said.

Ulba joined the school district in August 2017, the district said in a press release.

“Nancy was a wonderful and compassionate teacher, and we will greatly miss her energy and dynamic personality,” Mount Nittany Elementary Principal Mark Feldman said in a written statement to families Thursday afternoon.

She graduated from Penn State with a bachelor’s degree in psychology and received a master’s degree in elementary education from East Stroudsburg University, according to her overview page on the district website. Before returning to State College to teach at Mount Nittany Elementary, Ulba spent 10 years teaching in Washington, D.C., and earned a second master’s degree in physics at George Washington University.

“On behalf of our Mount Nittany community and the entire State College Area School District, I extend my sincerest condolences to Nancy’s family, friends and all who knew her,” said district Superintendent Bob O’Donnell in a statement to employees and families.

An autopsy is scheduled for Friday or Saturday, Albright said.