Trebek — an immigrant himself, who was born in Canada and became a naturalized U.S. citizen in 1998 — was a staple in her family, and Toumi described his daily presence in her living room as "irreplaceable."

"He was one of the first people I 'met' in this country," she said. "I came here with my family. I went to a French school. He was sort of the first American man that I was exposed to. His kindness and his empathy and his sense of humor, those were all huge in my cultural understanding."