Bernard “Bernie” Marcus, who co-founded The Home Depot and helped build it into a major home-improvement retailer, died on November 4, 2024, in Boca Raton, Florida. He was 95. The company confirmed his death; the sources reporting it did not state a cause.
Who was Bernard Marcus?
Marcus was born on May 12, 1929, in Newark, New Jersey, to Russian Jewish immigrant parents. He grew up in a tenement and hoped to become a doctor, but medical school was unaffordable. He studied pharmacy at Rutgers University before moving into retail.
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The Home Depot remembered him as “a master merchant and a genius with customer service.” His career joined that focus on retail with a later commitment to philanthropy.
How Marcus and Arthur Blank started The Home Depot
Marcus and Arthur Blank had worked together at Handy Dan, a home-improvement retailer. After they left the company in 1978, they set out to create a one-stop store where customers could find a broad range of home-improvement products. Investor Ken Langone helped arrange financing. The first Home Depot store opened in Atlanta in 1979.
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Marcus led the company as chief executive during its early expansion and later served as chairman. He retired from the chairmanship in 2002. The Associated Press reported that The Home Depot recorded nearly $153 billion in sales in 2023, a measure of the scale the retailer eventually reached—not a personal financial figure for Marcus.
Marcus’s philanthropy and estimated giving
Marcus founded The Marcus Foundation in 1989 to advance his philanthropic priorities. The foundation identifies Jewish causes, children, medical research, free enterprise and community as areas of focus.
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- Visit The Home Depot for flooring, paint, bath, kitchen, outdoors living products, appliances as well as tools and hardware.
- More Saving. More Doing.
- Redemption: In-store and Online
- No returns and no refunds on gift cards.
The Chronicle of Philanthropy estimated in 2024 that Marcus gave at least $2 billion to charity over his lifetime, both personally and through the foundation. That is the publication’s estimate, not an audited total. Marcus recalled his mother’s lesson about giving this way: “The more you give, the more you get.”
Independent reader supportYour contribution helps us test, update, and keep practical guides available for everyone.When did Bernie Marcus die?
Marcus died on November 4, 2024, in Boca Raton, Florida, at age 95. The Home Depot confirmed the death. The available reports did not establish a cause of death.
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