Casting smiles right and left, Michelle Sanford, a server at Lamplight Cafe & Bakery in Perrysburg, was even more ebullient than usual one morning in October.

Mrs. Sanford and her husband Todd had celebrated their 28th wedding anniversary in late September, and she was glowing. She had just received a text from him, and she was beaming like a bride.

“He has a one-hour drive to work,” she said. “…