Bernie Marcus has died at age 95. Along with devastation, many tributes have been posted online in honor of Marcus and his legacy with Home Depot

After getting fired together from a hardware business in the 1970s, Bernard Marcus and Arthur Blank set out to build their own retail chain. They started with a few stores in Atlanta and built Home Depot into a national powerhouse that made them both billionaires.

Founding the company with Arthur Blank in 1978, Marcus spearheaded its rapid growth over the next two decades.

In 1978, he came up with the idea of a warehouse-style store that would appeal to the do-it-yourself homeowner. With a partner’s help it became the world’s largest home-improvement retailer.

Funeral services for Home Depot co-founder Bernie Marcus were held at the Temple Thursday. Home Depot employees in the staple orange aprons lined the driveway ahead of the service. There were several keynote speakers and attendees including Georgia Gov.