Les Schwab - Family and Later Life

Family and Later Life

Les wed his high school sweetheart Dorothy Harlan in 1936 and they were married over 70 years. They had two children, Harlan and Margie, who both died before their parents; Harlan (1940-1971) died in an automobile accident and Margie Schwab Denton (1952-2005) from cancer. 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. In the early 1990s he and his wife donated funds to the local hospital to fund an expansion in honor of his son. Following the death of his daughter, his own health began to deteriorate in late 2005. He died on May 18, 2007, survived by his wife, four grandchildren, and several great-grandchildren. The Les Schwab Amphitheater in Bend is named in his honor.