Prior to her diagnosis, she had never undergone mammography.
``She was knocked down so many times,'' said her husband, Phil. ``The initial diagnosis gave her a 40 percent chance of survival, but she had a will and determination to live. Her faith in God kept her going.''
Mrs. Karanicolas maintained her sense of humor during her struggle.
She postponed their August 1994 wedding because she was not about to walk down the aisle until her hair had grown back after treatment, her husband said.
Her hair grew and on March 5, 1995, they were married.
Mrs. Karanicolas worked as a director in the department of student financial services at the University of Pennsylvania.
Her cancer, however, forced her to leave her job last August, after 20 years at Penn.
Mrs. Karanicolas' cancer was diagnosed July 5, 1991. She underwent a series of treatments, and the disease went into remission.
It resurfaced in 1994, and she underwent a bone marrow transplant. The cancer went into remission again, for six months, and the wedding date was set.
Mrs. Karanicolas graduated from Bryn Mawr College with a bachelor's degree in economics and French. She received a master's degree in education from Penn.
Besides her husband, Mrs. Karanicolas is survived by her parents, Marie and Anthony Georgias, and a sister.
Services will be at 11 a.m. Tuesday at St. Demetrios Church, 229 Powell Lane, Upper Darby. Burial will be at Arlington Cemetery, Drexel Hill.
