YIR: Marcus Leaves Lasting Legacy of Giving

The Jewish community and Israel's largest philanthropist patriarch died at 95 on Nov. 5.

Bernie Marcus, the multi-billionaire co-founder of The Home Depot whose philanthropy extended beyond the Jewish community and the city of Atlanta, including to Israel, died Oct. 5, 2024, night at his home in Boca Raton, Fla. Born May 12, 1929, he was 95 years old.

The community expressed an outpouring of support and love for Marcus as the AJT published a 20-page tribute section, featuring statements from President-elect Donald Trump, Arthur Blank, The Breman, Hillels of Georgia and many more.

The Marcus Foundation, Inc. has been the primary vehicle through which Marcus and his wife of 50 years, Billi, have given $2 billion to more than 400 nonprofits over three decades. Their priorities have been Jewish causes, healthcare and medical research, children and youth development, free enterprise and veterans’ services, and community support.

“None of the four – the Georgia Aquarium, the Grady Health System’s Marcus Stroke & Neuroscience Center, the Marcus Autism Center, and the SHARE Military Initiative at the Shepherd Center – would exist without Marcus,” Mike Leven, Marcus’ friend and then chair and CEO of the Georgia Aquarium, said at the time.

The Aquarium opened in 2005. Marcus, who provided an initial $250 million to fund construction, said that his favorite display was the whale shark, while his wife favored the beluga whales. The Autism Center treats more than 5,500 children annually.

In addition to his wife, Billi, Marcus is survived by a son, Fred, of Atlanta; a stepson, Michael Morris, of Atlanta, who is owner of the Atlanta Jewish Times; and several grandchildren. A daughter, Susanne, predeceased her father.

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