The son of Bernard and Judith (Valine) Leaf, he attended Luther Academy and College in Wahoo, Nebraska, played trumpet in the Air Force band, and completed his undergraduate degree at MacPhail School of Music in Minneapolis, Minnesota.
Having nearly completed the program, he left school and began composing hymns and secular choral music from the home he shared with his wife and three children in suburban Brooklyn Park, Minnesota.
In particular, he had a belief in the value of hymn as one of the last commonplace examples of community singing outside of 'The Birthday Song' and The National Anthem.
He wrote both instrumental and vocal music and was published by AMSI, Augsburg, Choristers Guild, GIA and Kjos.
Much of his late music included solo instrumental additions to choral arrangement.