Marge (Joas) Geissler knows what it means to bloom where you are planted. She retired after 34 years working for Chippewa County. The longest serving Register of Deeds on record, for 26 years, Marge became a de facto witness to every birth, death, military discharge, marriage, divorce, and land transaction that crossed her desk.

"I loved my job!" said Marge. "I was proud to serve people in the capacity that I did."

Now Marge is engaging in new opportunities to get involved, volunteering with non-profit organizations and establishing the Tom and Marge Geissler Family Seedling Fund with the Community Foundation. The fund memorializes her deceased husband, Tom, who ran a local appliance store and enjoyed competing in local sports leagues. He died at age 48.

The couple's son, Reggie, and his sisters, Mandi Schmidgall and Ashley Leatherberry, recall a father who stayed at work after hours or made house calls to serve his customers. Reggie said their family's church and school fostered environments of philanthropy and service that his parents embraced.

"That rubbed off on me. I found that building close relationships and engaging with community members was important and part of how our local area operates," said Reggie, who moved back to Chippewa Falls after college. "Chippewa is about the people." While Marge hasn't decided how the fund will specifically be directed once it grows, she knows the potential it has to make life better for others.

The results of philanthropy and people coming together are all around us," she said, noting the area's parks, cultural events, and vibrant downtown. "Chippewa has become more special over time, and my family felt blessed to live here. This fund allows us to give back in perpetuity, so it continues to be a great place to live and raise a family."