Eric James Sykas, 47, of Seattle, Washington and formerly of Montpelier, VT died in Seattle on Sunday, December 28, 2008. He was born in Montpelier on March 7, 1961 the son of James W. & Genevieve (Hageman) Sykas. Eric attended East Montpelier Elementary School and graduated in 1979 from U-32 High School. He attended U.V.M. in Burlington and the Culinary Institute of America in Hyde Park, NY. Following his education Eric worked for a period of time with his Father in the family restaurant, The Coffee Corner. His career interest was in hotel management and was Head Culinary Chef at the Sheraton Hotel in Burlington. Eric was employed for several years with Driftwood Hospitality Management LLC based in North Palm Beach, Florida. Eric is survived by his wife, Lady Astacio whom he married, March 16, 2007 in Tampa, FL; son, Alex Sykas of White River Jct., VT; Mother, Genevieve of Montpelier; sister, Susan S. Lang and her husband, Lynn of Essex, VT; brother, Mark J. Sykas and his wife, Sharon of Stratham, NH; nieces and nephews, and several aunts, uncles and cousins. Memorial service will be held on 1:00 PM, Saturday, January 17, 2009 at Guare & Sons Funeral Home, 30 School Street, Montpelier. Memorial contributions may be made in Eric's memory to Maryland Center for Multiple Sclerosis Research. Memorial checks should be made payable to: Univeristy of Maryland Baltimore Foundation, Inc., 620 W. Lexington Street, Baltimore, MD 21201. Please put in the memo line, "MS Center and Eric Syaks". For further information about this program refer to their web site at www.umm.edu Those wishing to send private on-line condolences may do so at www.guareandsons.com and go to Eric's obituary.