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“If there’s any town in Indiana to move to, I’d go to Warsaw.” That’s what a friend of Neal Carlson’s told him back in 1955 when Neal was considering accepting a job with First National Bank of Warsaw.

Neal heeded the advice of his friend, and he and Joy have called Warsaw home ever since.

Neal and Joy were both raised on small Indiana farms—in Brookston for Joy and near North Liberty for Neal. Joy finished nursing school and Neal graduated from Purdue University.

“Warsaw was a great place to raise children,” said Joy. “And we think highly of the school system,” Neal added. The Carlson’s raised their children here—Sue, Jon and Jim, and a daughter, Jo Ann, who passed away as a result of a car accident when she was a child. In addition to the good family atmosphere of the community, Neal was drawn to what he saw as the relatively recession free economy due to the diversified industry.

Joy’s job as a nurse (first with Murphy Medical Center then with Dr. Keough) led her to realize, along with six other nurses, the need for a Home Health Care organization. Together, they established the county’s first such organization, Kosciusko Home Care & Hospice, in 1976. In addition to her Home Health Care work, Joy has been involved with the Salvation Army’s Women’s Auxiliary, Mobile Meals, and the First United Methodist Church of Warsaw.

Neal was a long-tenured Kiwanian, and was active in the Kosciusko County Historical Society, the First United Methodist Church of Warsaw, and the Purdue Club of Kosciusko County. He served as an advisor for the Lake City Greenway project and as a literacy mentor.

Both Neal and Joy have been recognized for their contributions to the community. In 1978, Joy was named Warsaw’s Woman of the Year. Neal was named Warsaw’s Man of the Year in 1976 and received the Sagamore of the Wabash in 1997.

Neal’s relationship with the Community Foundation goes back to 1972, when he joined the Board of what was then called the Greater Warsaw Community Foundation. In 1990, as he was retiring from his position as President of First National Bank of Warsaw, Neal became the Community Foundation’s first Executive Director.

These days the Carlsons enjoy spending time with their children, grandchildren and great grandchildren. They both have some advice for future generations. “Always set goals, and be a good example,” Joy said. “Live within your means,” said Neal. And both the Carlsons agreed that being involved in community is especially important and a great way to meet good people and to receive much more than you give.