Anni Furniss heard shuffled footsteps. Peering up from the piano she was priming with thick brushstrokes for a fundraiser, she saw John’s hand accidentally resting on the wet paint. This first encounter sparked a conversation that would later turn into a 9-year relationship and marriage.
Anni and John Furniss met at the Emil Fries School of Piano Technology for the Blind in Vancouver, Washington. Anni was teaching art to youth from a nearby shelter in one of the school’s classrooms, and John was a student learning how to repair pianos. ...