(Mark Lambie / El Paso Times file photo)Sign up for El Paso culture stories and weekly events. Benjamin Alire Sáenz, the renowned El Paso author whose complex life and acclaimed work have been widely recognized, died Tuesday night after a lengthy illness. He entered the Catholic priesthood, serving in El Paso for three years before leaving his order. Memorial fund established: The El Paso Community Foundation has established the Benjamin Alire Sáenz Literary Fund at his request, to establish a book festival in El Paso and support authors in the region. Along with the lifelong friends he often praised and thanked – as well as his Yorkshire Terriers Chuy and Rain – Sáenz loved El Paso.