If you drink, don't drive.

WALLA WALLA—“Emily Anne McClenny had not set the world on fire with accomplishments at the young age of 7 1/2 years old, but she had worked her way into the hearts of many with her infectious smile,” wrote Nancy McClenny-Walters on what should have been her daughter’s 40th birthday. “While her life ended at 7 1/2, her story did not.”

For the past 32 years, McClenny-Walters has put Christmas decorations up on her daughter’s birthday, pausing for a moment from advocating against impaired driving and remembering her funny, loving little seven-year-old girl.

It was a hot July day in 1988 when the...