Retiree News

Obed Sniffen Jr. was born in July 1968 in Honolulu, Hawaii to Obed Sniffen Sr. and Lynette Huddy Sniffen.

The third of nine children, he had many fond memories playing with his brothers, sisters, and cousins on the beach and going fishing. He grew up playing football and baseball and graduated from Aiea High School in 1986.

 In 1987, Obed enlisted in the Hawaii Air National Guard’s 169th AC& WS. He received many awards in his military career, including Weapons Director School’s Distinguished Graduate. He also placed first as a Tracking Technician in the Air Force’s Top Scope competition in 1996. He served 7 years on active duty for Operation Noble Eagle, defending the Hawaiian airspace after 9/11. He retired as a Master Sergeant from the 109th AOG in 2018 after 30 years of military service. 

Obed’s dream was to work with computers, so he went back to school and received his B.S. in Information Technology from the University of Phoenix in 2014. He achieved his dream, working in cybersecurity for Booz Allen Hamilton, PACFLT, and INDOPACOM. He started working last April at INDOPACOM’s Pacific Warfighting Center as an Information Systems Security Manager. 

Obed’s hobbies included playing softball with Team Kilohana, bowling in the HIANG Bowling League, fishing, and golfing with his friends. He loved making new friends and connecting with people through jokes and laughter. He also loved traveling with his family all over the U.S. and to Thailand, Australia, Japan, Bhutan, and Canada. 

He is survived by his wife, Gaye Araki; daughter, Adrienne Sniffen; stepchildren Jacqueline and Shawn Araki; grandson, Ryan Sniffen; and mother, Lynette Sniffen.

---

The State of Hawaii, Department of Defense (HIDOD)’ Retiree News does not endorse any of the external hyperlinks listed or posted on this site. This includes linked websites, information, products, or services contained therein. We are a government run website for which transparency and accountability are paramount. HIDOD cannot have the appearance of endorsement and are bound by the HIDOD Social Media Policy concerning political posts being respectful, honest, and accurate. Operational Security will additionally be adhered to. Retiree News does not exercise any editorial control over the information you may find at linked sites. Some of the sites linked to may limit the number of stories you can access without a paid subscription. All links were provided with the intent of meeting the mission of the HIDOD’s version of Retiree News.