Henry Basurto, founder of Henry’s Service, and his son Lonnie at an April 30 party thrown by customers in celebration of the auto shop’s history. Courtesy: Sally Basurto-Pras

After nearly 50 years, Henry’s Service, the beloved car mechanic in Westbrae, is closing up shop. On Thursday, April 30, dozens of customers who have trusted their cars to Henry’s over the years threw a party to honor the auto shop and its 91-year-old founder, Henry Basurto.

“I probably met Henry 30 years ago,” said longtime customer Dennis Yniguez, who helped organize the party along with his wife, Anne. “ There was something about Henry, his integrity, his straightforward response to any question was extraordinary.”

“ The integrity, the reliability, the trust,” added Anne Yniguez. “If he needed to give you bad news, he gave you the bad news.”

Enrique “Henry” Basurto was born in Lima, Peru, in 1935. His grandfather was an American, who docked in Peru as a sailor in the Navy, fell in love with a young Peruvian girl and decided to go AWOL. He never returned to the U.S., but told his grandson about the country and encouraged him to emigrate, according to Henry’s son, Lonnie Basurto.

After studying to become a mechanic in Argentina, Basurto emigrated to the U.S. through Miami in 1957, found a job as a truck mechanic in New York, and soon sent for his pregnant wife. But one cold winter in New York was too much for the young couple, and they soon moved to California where Basurto had a brother. Basurto worked as a mechanic for International Harvester in Oakland before co-founding A&H Truck Repair, where he worked on big rigs. In 1977 Basurto purchased a Union 76 gas station on Gilman Street, which became Henry’s Service. 

Basurto takes one last ride in the 1941 Chevy Master Deluxe his auto shop maintained for 40 years. Courtesy: Sally Basurto-Pras

Henry’s Service was always a family affair. Lonnie started working there from the very beginning, pumping gas as a teenager when it was still a Union 76, and returning later to work in the office when it became solely an auto repair shop. Henry’s son-in-law, Frederic Pras, began working at the shop in 2001, and soon became the sole mechanic. Henry retired in 2017.

Pras will continue the legacy of Henry’s Service as a mobile mechanic business, performing a variety of auto repair work at customers’ homes, including scheduled maintenance, oil changes, tire service, starter and alternator replacements, electrical work and more. 

“It’s like the Instacart of auto repair,” said Sally Basurto-Pras, Henry’s daughter and Pras’s wife.

The mobile version of Henry’s will officially begin on June 1. 

Basurto’s daughter, Sally, presents her father with a car cake at the party. Courtesy: Sally Basurto-Pras

The last car to drive out of the Henry’s Service garage was a 1941 Chevy Master Deluxe, which Henry’s has been servicing for more than 40 years. At the party, Henry took one last ride in the vehicle with Lonnie at the wheel. As Henry drove away in the car, there were many loud cheers and more than a few tears.

“I’m so sad,” said longtime customer Joseph Gaglione. “I feel like I’ll never meet anyone I can trust like this again.” 

Henry’s Service, 1321 Gilman St., Berkeley. Phone: 510-524-2072.

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