Alan Greenleaf

Alan Merrill Greenleaf, 1945-2024

 Alan Merrill Greenleaf died on June 15th, 2024 with his daughters, Willa and Holly, by his side at Willa’s home after a final stroke three months prior. Born April 13th, 1945, he was a man of heart and dreams and he realized them living on his back road Vermont kingdom for most of his life, the self-proclaimed Mayor of Greenwood. Beloved songwriter, guitarist, and singer; small farmer of beef cattle, maple syrup, honey, and hay; Father of two daughters who adore him and he them; and cherished friend. Truly a one-of-a-kind – gentle and genuine with a real sense of humor, self-determined and fiercely independent - stubbornly so - he inspired many. He embraced an open mind, there to listen with a wise and humorous response. Humble as the cattle he herded but confident in the way he could speak his mind, unfiltered and unafraid to ruffle some feathers. He didn’t need to go far to be fulfilled and felt most everyone else was moving too fast. Clever and crafty, he tinkered, fixed, and figured things out, most at home walking the hills and woods of his land. He was hilariously frugal, saving everything and reusing - or eating - most of it too but he knew when to live it up and loved to share a good diner meal or a BBQ in the backyard. Throughout his life, he did things his own way with his wry humor and a song to go with it. He had a way of making everyone feel at ease in his presence with his bright blue eyes, warm smile, and readiness to chat. He was also a hermit that was hard to reach sometimes and loved his solitude and silence, content to be alone with the birds and wind in the trees and his cherished Chihuahua, Luna. Magnetized by his presence, friends would often visit for chats around the kitchen table where you might hear stories from his early days of farming, a rant on overpopulation or modern technologies, reflecting on the simple pleasures of life or his ‘misspent’ childhood. He grew up in Wakefield, MA, raised by his grandparents without his mother or father, he found solace in the patch of woods behind his house and family in his tight knit group of friends that remained close until the end. He found freedom in his motorcycle and records of blues and rock n’ roll. In his twenties, he crisscrossed the Americas, adventuring in his VW bus while getting chemotherapy for a seemingly terminal cancer that he survived. He moved to a commune in Huntington, MA and built a cabin in the woods where he lived with his wife Susan. They worked in Vermont as farmhands on a horse-drawn sleigh sugaring operation. Soon after, they bought land and built a house in Peacham in the late 70s, living off the grid as artist-farmers and eventually devoted parents, raising two daughters and living their dream, working the land - where he lived until the final months of his life. Self-taught finger pickin’ guitarist, he was a songwriter and story teller of truth and emotion, never shying away from sharing the gritty hardships, humor, sadness, and beauty of life as a backwoods farmer in the Northeast Kingdom. He pursued his music passionately and prolifically later in life, playing around the North Country with the ‘Doc’. There were many, many good years shared and some very hard ones too, but he ultimately remained a gentle and spirited rock to us all, a natural man rooting so deeply into the land where he is now of the earth, peaceful and free. He is survived by his daughters, Willa Greenleaf, Holly Greenleaf and her husband, John Murphy, his former wife, Susan Greenleaf, and his dog, Luna. Gratefully, he lives on in his music, the land, and our hearts forever. 

 There will be a Celebration of Life at his farm on September 14th, 2024 at 3 pm. Potluck & Open Mic. 

 Memories and condolences may be shared with family at saylesfh.com.