SANDPOINT — Theresa Hart laughed a few times as she told stories about her son, Nicholas Newby, to Mike Ehredt and few other people who moments before were complete strangers.

That she could laugh at all as she reminisced about her son, who was killed at the age of 20 in Iraq in 2011, speaks to the strength and character of Hart.

After her friend Jack Drapeau, a vet from Coeur d’Alene, saw an article about Ehredt running 300 miles in six days to honor the last 300 U.S. soldiers to die in war, he got in touch with Hart and the two drove up to Sandpoint to be on hand as the flag for Newby, who was an Army National Guard member, was placed in the mural.

When asked what it meant to see Ehredt paying homage to her son, Hart paused for a moment.

“It’s kind of hard to put into words, to have to go through this for people he doesn’t even know, to make sure our fallen are not forgotten,” she answered. “That’s our goal, to make sure our children aren’t forgotten. These are all important people. Then you have people like this (Ehredt) that go above and beyond.”

Hart was then asked to reflect on her son, and did so with great pride and reverence.

“He loved music and mischief. He was the funny-bone, but he was brilliant,” recalled Hart of her son, noting her military roots. “My dad was in the Air Force. I was an Air Force brat.”

These days Hart is busy running a burgeoning non-profit organization called Newby Ginnings, honoring her son’s memory by providing a wealth of goods and services to area veterans in need.

The project had humble beginnings, but has steadily grown ever since, and perhaps more importantly, has given Hart a passion and purpose.

“I started it in memory of him. It’s not just Nick, all our fallen soldiers,” she said. “Make sure people realize there are faces and families behind these names on the wall.”

Drapeau has watched firsthand how Newby Ginnings, now located in Post Falls, has grown, likening it to a thrift store for the vets.

“Everything veterans need, they come in and get for free. That’s what she did in Nick’s memory,” described Drapeau. “It started in her garage, then they quickly outgrew that. Then a small warehouse, and they outgrew that.”

Newby Ginnings has also done just that for Hart, who like many who lose children, had a hard time coping with life for a while.

“I quit my job as a nurse and was on the couch for a year and a half,” admitted Hart of the painful period.

Drapeau then quickly added a caveat for the busy Hart, whose grassroots organization keeps her plenty busy, helping more and more veterans by the day.

Ehredt’s run resonated with Hart, who like Ehredt is passionate about keeping the soldier’s memories alive. She talked of Clifford Beattie, a 37 year-old from Medical Lake who died right before her son.

Ehredt, who will have planted 6,780 flags when his latest 300 are finished, runs a mile with the flag of each soldier in his hand. Beattie’s was one of the flags he put in the mural on Tuesday.

“I remember seeing Cliffor Beattie on the news, and asking Nick if he knew him,” remembered Hart, adding that Nick didn’t. “We lost Nick about a month later.”

Ehredt will run another 50 miles today, planting a flag for Matthew Stilz, a 26 year-old from Spokane who died 2012, along with another 49 after each one mile lap. On Saturday, he’ll plant a flag for Spokane’s Jacob Hess, 22, and another one for Justin Clouse, a 22 year-old from Sprague, Wash..

The final flag, pulled out of chronological order, will be for Sandpoint Air Force Captain David Lyon, 28, and will be planted at 9:45 a.m. on Memorial Day.

Ehredt welcomes any and all people to join him, anytime from 6 a.m. to 6 p.m. at Travers Park, where the mural is located. He’s hoping to eventually put the memorial somewhere in the Sandpoint community, and is open to suggestions.

With another 250 miles to go, the visit from Hart has already made the effort worth it for Ehredt.

“It makes my day, makes the whole week,” claimed Ehredt, noting six days of running isn’t much. “In the course of my life it’s just the blink of an eye.”