‘Heaven just got a little tastier’: Longtime owner of Libertyville’s Townee Square Restaurant remembered

Loyal patrons of a beloved Libertyville restaurant are paying tribute to its late cofounder.

George Karahalios, 72, of Libertyville, ran the Townee Square Restaurant, 508 N. Milwaukee Ave., with his family for nearly 40 years. He died Monday after a 13-year battle with Parkinson’s disease, his son Alex said.

Hundreds of Townee regulars have shared stories and expressed their sympathies on the restaurant’s Facebook page and on Alex Karahalios’ page since the elder Karahalios’ passing was announced.

Facebook user John Durning said Karahalios leaves behind “an amazing legacy.”

“Heaven just got a little tastier because George has arrived,” Durning wrote.

Fellow Facebook user Jan Leasure noted she and her family have enjoyed the Karahalios’ recipes at Townee Square since it opened.

“Goodbye to George, creator of my coveted egg casserole,” Leasure wrote.

A Greek native who served in the Hellenic Air Force, Karahalios immigrated to the U.S. in 1974 when he was 22. He worked at restaurants in the Chicago area and eventually ran his own.

Karahalios and his wife, Christine, launched the Townee Square Restaurant after moving to Libertyville in 1986 with their children. The eatery previously had been known as Independent House.

Under their care, the Townee Square Restaurant became more than a place to enjoy fluffy pancakes, four-egg scrambles, crunchy club sandwiches or homemade baked goods. It’s a gathering spot for folks who live or work in the Libertyville area where friends and family members can catch up over coffee without fear of clock-watching staffers, patrons say.

Over time, Karahalios took on a supporting role at Townee Square. He often could be found at the cash register near the front door, where he’d chat with customers.

“People enjoyed him,” said Libertyville Trustee Scott Adams, who’s also president and CEO of the GLMV Chamber of Commerce. “He was a very, very friendly guy.”

Musician and lifelong Libertyville resident Ike Reilly paid his respects online.

“What a good man George was,” Reilly wrote on Facebook. “Our whole family has you in our thoughts and hearts.”

In addition to running Townee Square, Karahalios supported two Greek Orthodox monasteries. Following a funeral Tuesday, Karahalios was interred at St. John Chrysostomos Greek Orthodox Monastery in Pleasant Prairie, Wisconsin.

In addition to his wife, Karahalios’ survivors include four siblings, three sons and seven grandchildren.

“His greatest joy was being a grandfather,” the family said on Facebook.

Instead of flowers, donations may be made to the monastery via stjcm.org or to Lambs Farm in Green Oaks via lambsfarm.org.