Schwab wed his high school sweetheart, Dorothy Harlan (1917-2016), in 1936 and they were married over 70 years. Their two children died before their parents; son Harlan Lee Schwab (1940–1971) was killed in an automobile accident and daughter Margaret Joyce Schwab Denton (1952–2005) succumbed to cancer.Rogoway, Mike. Schwab handoff planned in detail. The Oregonian, May 23, 2007. In 1986, he wrote an autobiography, Les Schwab, Pride in Performance, Keep it Going. In the late 1980s he gave up day-to-day control of the company.Rogoway, Mike. Tire giant rolls hub out of town. The Oregonian, December 13, 2006. In the early 1990s, Schwab and his wife donated funds to the local hospital to fund an expansion in honor of his son, Harlan.Rogoway, Mike. Schwab's legacy is in his business. The Oregonian, May 31, 2007. In late 2005, following the death of his daughter, his own health began to deteriorate. He died at age 89 in 2007. His wife died in 2016. They were survived by four grandchildren, and several great-grandchildren. He was buried in Prineville. The Hayden Homes Amphitheater in Bend was named the Les Schwab Amphitheater, up until November 2021, in his honor.
