Margaret Ann (Ackermann) Karayiannis of McKinney, Texas and previously of Champaign, Illinois, passed away at home on October 30, 2017 with family members and hospice staff at her side. Meg was born in Athens, Georgia, to Coletta (Prorok) Ackermann and William Charles Ackermann on December 25, 1968. She graduated from Centennial High School in Champaign, Illinois in 1987, Southern Illinois University with a degree in radio and television broadcasting in1992 and from William Rainey Harper College in Palatine, Illinois in December 2002 with an associate's degree in Applied Science in Interior Design. Meg met and married (1993) Dimitri Karayianis while in school in Carbondale, Illinois and they had two children, Maria Anna and Yorgos. While living in California and at age 29, Meg was diagnosed with breast cancer. This began her life with a disease that she said "would never define me". Her children always were Meg's focus and her goal was to make their lives as normal as possible.
When Meg completed her education as an interior designer, she discovered the passion she had for design. While living in Elgin, Illinois Meg began her own design business which gave her the flexibility she needed to take care of her children and home and still indulge in creative design work. Meg loved to travel and plan so would take advantage of any of places they lived looking for fun activities and new places to visit. While living in France she wanted her children to see as much of the world as possible and they traveled all over France, into Germany, Austria and Italy while continuing to visit their relatives in Greece. Meg always followed Marianna and Yorgos' sports teams and was a cheerleader for the teams - often to the ongoing embarrassment of her children. Meg also had a passion for cooking and took on the intricacies of Greek cooking. She loved having the children's friends at the house and at the dinner table.
The family settled in Texas and moved into the "all American" neighborhood. Friends lived up and down the street, kids played all over the neighborhood and neighbors looked after the children and each other. Lifelong friendships were born there and her friends supported her through the difficult times of divorce and illness. Although Meg enjoyed the independence of her own design business, she later chose to join teams at Stacey Furniture Company and most recently at Nebraska Furniture Mart. Her colleagues called her a positive, fun and supportive friend who would do anything to help another designer or client. She loved to work with people as a team and thought of many of her clients as friends and family. Her determination, independence, talent and loving spirit will be missed more than we can imagine.
Meg is survived by her children Maria Anna Karayiannis of Marietta, Pennsylvania; Yorgos Karayiannis of Austin, Texas; parents Coletta and William Ackermann and sister Whitney (Joshua Ratts) Ackermann of Champaign, Illinois; uncles John (Cindy) Prorok and Arthur (Barbara) Ackermann and aunt Nancy (Donald) Ackermann Cole; nephews William and Alexander Uhlarik and cousins Ross (Shanda), Weston (Jenny) and Gavin Ackermann; Alicia (Bill) Duffy; Thomas (Aileen) Price; Mandy Prorok and Kyle (Megan) Prorok.
Cremation arrangements are being handled by Turrentine, Jackson and Morrow Funeral Home and memorial services will be held on November 17, 2017 at 11:00 at Trinity Presbyterian Church in McKinney, Texas. A reception at the church will immediately follow the service. Meg's cremains will be interred in Greece and Champaign, Illinois at Hope Memorial Cemetery at a date to be determined.
Donations may be made to: The Breast Cancer Research Foundation at www.bcrfcure.org or The Dr. Susan Love Research Foundation at www.drsusanloveresearch.