Speaking during the funeral home depot co-founder and longtime friend, Arthur Blank, called him an innovator and humanitarian. “He could be tough when he needed to be, but that tough exterior was ...

A man of second acts, Marcus started Home Depot after getting fired from another retailer. He then became a philanthropist, a Republican megadonor and an evangelist of capitalism.

In April 1978, Marcus and Blank were fired, and friend and business associate Ken Langone convinced Marcus to open his own business. Together, Marcus, Blank and Langone founded The Home Depot, and ...