Navy SEAL Nicholas P. Spehar was born in Minneapolis, Minnesota, on October 19, 1986, and grew up in Chisago City, where he was known as an outstanding athlete and student, a dependable and caring young man, and someone who looked for opportunities to serve others. Called his parents' "miracle child" because of his traumatic birth, he was remembered for great vigor and curiosity, deep faith and love for God, devotion to his family, a strong sense of humor, and a love for art, poetry, and music, including Invictus by William Ernest Henley. After graduating from Chisago Lakes High School, he worked as a laborer on the Chisago City Highway 8 Project and the Center City Highway 8 Project before enlisting in the Navy in 2007. As SO2 Spehar, he completed basic underwater demolitions/SEAL training and SEAL qualification training with Class 267, then deployed to the Philippines and Yemen in support of Operation Enduring Freedom and volunteered for a deployment to Afghanistan immediately after returning from Yemen. He was killed in action on August 6, 2011, while conducting operations in Wardak Province, Afghanistan. Remembered as an exceptional United States Navy SEAL, a leader by example, a tireless worker, and an elite warrior respected by his teammates, he was honored when an eight-mile section of Highway 8 through the Chisago Lakes community was officially renamed the Navy SEAL Nicholas P. Spehar Memorial Highway on May 6, 2014.