For the Love of Somerset

How one couple's love for Somerset inspired a lasting investment in its future.

Paul & Cleo Wenzel along the Apple River in Somerset, Wisconsin.

Paul and Cleo Wenzel would rather talk about Somerset than themselves.

Ask about the business they built over four decades, and they'll tell you about the people who helped them along the way. Ask about their generosity, and the conversation quickly shifts to the volunteers, nonprofits, and neighbors who make Somerset stronger.

For the Wenzels, this story isn't about them. It's about a community that shaped their lives, and their desire to ensure that same spirit of generosity continues to strengthen Somerset long into the future.

That desire inspired a $100,000 gift to the Somerset Community Fund, where Paul has served on the advisory board since helping establish it more than a decade ago.

A Place to Call Home

Paul and Cleo Wenzel on a park bench they donated in Larry Forrest Park in Somerset.

For more than 40 years, Somerset has been the backdrop to every chapter of their lives. It's where they raised four children. Where lifelong friendships took root. Where church

became family. Where neighbors showed up during life's most difficult moments. And where they discovered that a strong community isn't something you simply live in. It's something you help build.

Over time, Somerset didn't simply become their hometown. It became part of who they were.

When Paul and Cleo moved to Somerset in 1979, they weren't searching for a cause. They were looking for a place to build a life together. Somerset was close enough for Paul to commute to his machinist job in St. Paul and Cleo to her teaching job in Hudson.

Four years later, they started St. Croix Machine Tool in their garage with just three machines, one young child and another on the way. As Paul grew the business, Cleo managed the books while raising their four children. She eventually left the business to teach at St. Anne Catholic School in Somerset, which all four of their children attended.

When they sold the company more than four decades later, one outcome mattered as much as the sale itself. Every employee stayed on with the new owners. That mattered because success had never been measured only by what they built. It was measured by the people they built it with.

If you ask Cleo where that perspective comes from, her answer comes quickly.

"There were always so many kind people that helped us when we needed it," she said. "We are just so grateful to all the generous people who inspired us to want to be generous when we had the means."

That Gratitude Became Stewardship

Cleo Wenzel helps with the Apple River clean-up in Somerset.

Both Paul and Cleo grew up in farming families where faith, hard work and volunteering were part of everyday life. Early in their marriage, they made a commitment to give back, even when there wasn't much to give.

As the years passed, that commitment grew alongside their family and business. Their generosity extended beyond financial gifts. For Cleo, it also meant spending more than two decades teaching children—and continuing to volunteer at St. Anne's after retiring.

Together, they mentored engaged couples through their church, supported local schools and organizations, said yes when help was needed, and quietly strengthened the community around them.

That stewardship took many forms. One opportunity, however, stood apart.

Planting Something Permanent

More than a decade ago, longtime Somerset business leader Jay Emert approached Paul and several others with an idea: What if Somerset created a community fund that could support local needs for generations to come?

Paul readily admits he knew little about community foundations at the time. "I had zero concept of a community fund or community foundation," he recalled with a laugh. "It just sounded like a good idea to me, and it made sense that we should participate."

He became one of the founding advisory board members, helping launch the Somerset Community Fund, the St. Croix Valley Foundation's local affiliate serving Somerset. Today, Paul is the only founding advisory board member who continues to serve.

While others envisioned large community projects, Paul's focus was simpler. "I was much more into what we could do to support smaller causes," he said. "And that's basically the direction that the Somerset Community Fund has gone."

Over the years, the Fund has supported organizations and projects that strengthen Somerset, including the food pantry, public library, local schools, Somerset Champions Council, and Garden to Give at Somerset Elementary.

For Paul, the impact of the Somerset Community Fund isn't measured only in grants awarded. It's measured in the people those grants help. A recent visit to the Food Pantry brought that impact into focus.

As he was leaving, he recognized someone arriving for assistance. He won't share her story—that belongs to her. But the moment reinforced what years of serving on the advisory board had taught him: the organizations the Community Fund supports are helping people right here in Somerset.

The Somerset Apple River clean-up volunteers, including Paul Wenzel.

"To see the good that comes out of this and the programs that we support, it's a worthwhile thing," Paul said. "There are organizations that don't get all the money they would like, but at least we're helping them."

For Cleo, that understanding became deeply personal.

After their daughter experienced the heartbreaking loss of a baby halfway through her pregnancy, Faith's Lodge provided a place of comfort and healing for their family. The experience became a powerful reminder of the importance of organizations that quietly walk alongside families during life's most difficult moments.

A Legacy Lives On

Experiences like those deepened Paul and Cleo's commitment to the community that had shaped so much of their lives.

When they sold St. Croix Machine Tool in 2025, they had an opportunity to reflect on the legacy they hoped to leave. Their $100,000 gift to the Somerset Community Fund was one expression of that legacy. It strengthened the charitable resource they had helped establish more than a decade earlier, helping ensure continued support for local organizations and community priorities.

Paul is the first to acknowledge there's still more to do.

"The need is greater than we can meet. We get far more proposals than we can fund," he said.

But that's never discouraged him. Instead, it's reinforced what he has believed all along: When neighbors come together, even small acts of generosity can make a lasting difference.

Somerset has changed a great deal since Paul and Cleo arrived in 1979. New families have put down roots. New neighborhoods have taken shape. New opportunities and new needs have emerged. That's exactly why they believe a permanent community fund matters. Long after they're gone, it will continue responding to the needs and opportunities of the community they love.

Ask Paul and Cleo about their generosity, and they'll tell you about the Apple River. About St. Anne's. About the schools, the public library, the food pantry, new businesses, and the people who make Somerset such a special place to call home.

Because that's the legacy they hope to leave: a stronger Somerset for those who call it home.