ATLANTA – Home Depot co-founder Bernard Marcus, who helped transform the Atlanta-based business into a global company, has died at the age of 95.

Home Depot announced Marcus’ death Tuesday morning.

Marcus was born in 1929, the son of Russian Jewish immigrants, and grew up in New Jersey. His first dream was to become a doctor, but his family’s financial situation did not allow him to enroll in medical school. He then enrolled in pharmacy school and eventually graduated from Rutgers.

But instead of going into the medical field, Marcus found his true passion by skipping class and selling freezers door-to-door. His ability to sell allowed him to quickly climb the corporate ladder at O’Dell’s and Vordnado Inc. In 1972, Handy Dan became chairman of the board and president of Improvement Centers Inc. Meeting Arthur Blank will shape the rest of his life.

Marcus, Blank and Ron Brill were fired from Handy Dan in 1978. At age 48, Marcus went into business with the two men, working with investment banker Ken Langone to secure financing to open the first Home Depot in Atlanta. Since then, the company has helped shape the nature of home improvement, eventually growing to more than 2,300 stores and employing more than 500,000 people.

After the business made him a billionaire, Marcus focused on giving back by donating millions to healthcare in Atlanta.

“I was able to do things my parents could only dream of… and focus on helping people I would never meet,” he wrote in “Raise a Little Dust: Lessons on Thinking Big, Giving Back, and Doing It Yourself.”

In 2010, Bernie and his wife, Billi, joined The Giving Pledge, billionaire Warren Buffett’s pledge to give away most of their money during their lifetimes.

The couple founded the Marcus Institute, now known as the Marcus Autism Center, which is a nonprofit subsidiary of Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta and treats more than 5,500 children annually.

Marcus, Blank and other philanthropists and organizations partnered with actor Gary Sinise to launch the Gary Sinise Foundation Avalon Network to help treat post-traumatic stress disorder, traumatic brain injuries and substance abuse.

Marcus helped create Project Share with the Shepherd Center in Atlanta; The Marcus Foundation covered the housing, transportation and care costs for military personnel treated for brain or spinal cord injuries at the center.

Outside of the healthcare field, Marcus and his wife built the Georgia Aquarium in 2005, dedicating the Downtown Atlanta building to the people of Georgia and Home Depot customers.

Politically, Marcus was a supporter of conservative causes and financially supported Donald Trump’s presidential campaigns and other Republican candidates.

“The entire Home Depot family is deeply saddened by the death of our co-founder Bernie Marcus,” a spokesperson for The Home Depot said in a statement. he wrote. “We owe Bernie an immeasurable debt of gratitude. He was a master trader and retail visionary. But more importantly, he valued our associates, customers, and communities above all else. He left us an invaluable legacy and the backbone of our company: our values.”

The company said Marcus’ philanthropic work will continue through his foundation. You can learn more about this here.