Natalie White, 24, and Holly Wagner, 25, were struck and killed at the intersection of Gallatin Road and Cude Lane when police say a Jeep ran a red light while the driver was under the influence.
The two met at Fisk University and graduated in the class of 2021.
White's parents had been driving from Flossmoor to Nashville for years to visit their daughter, but not anymore.
"We'll never get to go back down there and see our baby again," said her father Mark White.
Her handwritten messages will remain plastered in their home, where her voice is now just a memory.
"Too quiet, empty," said her mother Christal West. "She was the life of the house."
White was killed on her father's birthday, and spoke to him just hours before her death.
"At least I know the last thing I said to her was 'I love you,'" he said. "It's tough."
Giovvanni Bolstad, 22, now faces multiple charges, including vehicular homicide by intoxication and vehicular assault. Police said not only was he under the influence, he was also driving on a revoked license from a prior DUI conviction.
A memorial was held at Fisk University for the best friends Wednesday.
Bolstad is due back in court Thursday, three days before White would have turned 25.
CNN contributed to this report