Home Depot co-founder Bernard Marcus passed away at the age of 95, a company statement has revealed. He was married to Billi Marcus before his death, and prior to that, to Ruth Rados, who passed away in July 2023.
According to CNN, Bernard Marcus was one of the leading donors to the Republican Party and, in his last few years, was a vocal endorser of President Trump. The company statement reads:
"The entire Home Depot family is deeply saddened by the death of our cofounder Bernie Marcus. We owe an immeasurable debt of gratitude to Bernie.”
Who is Bernard Marcus' wife, Billi? All we know about her
According to Distractify, Bernard Marcus was first married to Ruth Rados, and they shared two children: Frederick Marcus and Susanne Marcus Collins. However, after their divorce, he began seeing his last wife, Billi.
It is unknown when they tied the knot, but he became the stepfather to her son, Michael Morris, from her previous marriage.
In a March 2018 video uploaded on YouTube, the two can be seen discussing their love for philanthropy, noting that it all started when they were both not so wealthy.
"We both have the same feelings about a lot of things. Giving is one of them. I give small amounts of money away. Nothing I can do is gonna change the world. But he could."
Bernard continued,
"I remember the days when we weren't real wealthy and that was not too many years ago, and we were pretty poor and in those days we were involved with charity."
The duo joined The Giving Pledge in 2010, an initiative where they committed to giving away most of their earnings during their lifetime. They also played a role in constructing the Georgia Aquarium, one of the largest aquariums in the world. It serves as a nonprofit venture aimed at conservation and research.
Not much else is known about the two, given that they kept a low profile for much of their time together.
Bernard Marcus started Home Depot when he got laid off from another hardware store
According to Bloomberg’s Billionaire Index, Bernard Marcus had a net worth of a whopping $7.4 billion. He started Home Depot with Arthur Blank in 1978, and the two met when they worked together at Handy Dan Home Improvement in California.
When new management came in and decided to lay them off, they took matters into their own hands and started their own chain of hardware stores. From there, things took a turn for the better, and the company now boasts 2,300 stores.
The company statement reads:
"Bernie was an inspiration in many ways. He was a master merchant and a genius with customer service. Together with Arthur Blank and Ken Langone, Bernie helped create a nation of doers who could tackle any project, large or small. He loved our customers. He also loved the associates who made the company what it is today."
In speaking about Bernard Marcus' philanthropic tendencies, the statement continued:
"Giving back was part of Bernie’s upbringing. “My mother taught me to be generous. She believed that the more you give, the more you get.” Over the years he had an enormous influence on healthcare in Atlanta. With his wife Billi, Bernie started The Marcus Institute, which today is the Marcus Autism Center, a not-for-profit subsidiary of Children's Healthcare of Atlanta that treats more than 5,500 children with autism and related disorders a year."
In a statement on X, Blank reflected on the passing of his co-founder and "dearest friend," noting that he was "heartbroken." He continued, asserting that Marcus’ “tremendous commitment to so many causes will live on, as will the immeasurable impact on countless individuals and families who have been blessed by his giving heart.”
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Marcus served as Home Depot's CEO from its inception until 1997, and from then on, he assumed the role of chairman until he decided to retire in 2002.
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