Editor’s note: The video above is from a previous post.

ATLANTA, Ga. (Atlanta News First) – Funeral plans have been announced for Home Depot co-founder and philanthropist Bernie Marcus.

Marcus’ funeral will be held Templeat 1589 Peachtree Street NE in Atlanta on Thursday, November 7 at 1 p.m.

Governor Brian Kemp announced Wednesday that flags at the State Capitol and Fulton County will also be flown at half-staff on Thursday in Marcus’ memory.

“Bernie Marcus was an icon of business who created jobs and opportunities for generations of The Home Depot employees,” Kemp’s executive order to lower the flags said. “His considerable philanthropy will resonate throughout history and touch lives for the better.”

Marcus, 95, died Monday in Boca Raton, Florida, surrounded by his family, a Home Depot spokesman said.

PREVIOUS NEWS: Bernie Marcus, co-founder of The Home Depot, dies at 95

“The entire Home Depot family is deeply saddened by the death of our co-founder Bernie Marcus. In the statement made by the company, it was stated that we owe Bernie an immeasurable debt of gratitude. “He was a master trader and retail visionary. But more importantly, he valued our partners, customers and communities above all else. He left us a priceless legacy and our values, which are the backbone of our company.”

Born in 1929 and raised by Russian Jewish parents in Newark, New Jersey, Marcus began working at age 13, eventually abandoning his ambition to become a Harvard-educated doctor to earn a degree from Rutgers. He worked briefly as a pharmacist before moving into retail sales. In the mid-1970s, Marcus was working as a manager for Los Angeles-based Handy Dan Home Improvement Centers, where he met Arthur Blank.

In April 1978, Marcus and Blank were fired, and his friend and business partner Ken Langone persuaded Marcus to start his own business. Together, Marcus, Blank, and Langone founded The Home Depot and opened its first two stores in Atlanta on June 22, 1979.

Within two years, The Home Depot went public and today has more than 2,300 stores in North America.

Marcus retired from active employment at The Home Depot in 2002 and subsequently donated more than $200 million of his personal fortune to build the Georgia Aquarium, one of the largest aquariums in the world. Since opening in November 2005, the aquarium has become one of Atlanta and Georgia’s top tourist attractions.

Atlanta’s corporate leaders have long been involved with the city’s philanthropic communities, and Marcus was no exception. In 1991, Marcus founded the Israel Democracy Institute and the Marcus Institute; This institution later became the Marcus Autism Center following its merger with Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta. In 2002, he donated $3.9 million to the Atlanta-based Centers for Disease Control and Prevention to establish an emergency anthrax response center.

In 2009, Marcus was appointed by the Georgia Historical Society and the governor’s office as a member of the Georgia Board of Regents.

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