{"id":304732,"date":"2026-05-07T19:26:11","date_gmt":"2026-05-07T19:26:11","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/304732\/"},"modified":"2026-05-07T19:26:11","modified_gmt":"2026-05-07T19:26:11","slug":"berkeley-auto-shop-henrys-service-closes-after-50-years","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/304732\/","title":{"rendered":"Berkeley auto shop Henry’s Service closes after 50 years"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"\"\/Henry Basurto, founder of Henry\u2019s Service, and his son Lonnie at an April 30 party thrown by customers in celebration of the auto shop\u2019s history. Courtesy: Sally Basurto-Pras<\/p>\n

After nearly 50 years, Henry\u2019s 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\u2019s over the years threw a party to honor the auto shop and its 91-year-old founder, Henry Basurto.<\/p>\n

\u201cI probably met Henry 30 years ago,\u201d said longtime customer Dennis Yniguez, who helped organize the party along with his wife, Anne. \u201c\u200aThere was something about Henry, his integrity, his straightforward response to any question was extraordinary.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201c\u200aThe integrity, the reliability, the trust,\u201d added Anne Yniguez. \u201cIf he needed to give you bad news, he gave you the bad news.\u201d<\/p>\n

Enrique \u201cHenry\u201d 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\u2019s son, Lonnie Basurto.<\/p>\n

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\u2019s Service.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\"\"\/Basurto takes one last ride in the 1941 Chevy Master Deluxe his auto shop maintained for 40 years. Courtesy: Sally Basurto-Pras<\/p>\n

Henry\u2019s 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\u2019s son-in-law, Frederic Pras, began working at the shop in 2001, and soon became the sole mechanic. Henry retired in 2017.<\/p>\n

Pras will continue the legacy of Henry\u2019s Service as a mobile mechanic business, performing a variety of auto repair work at customers\u2019 homes, including scheduled maintenance, oil changes, tire service, starter and alternator replacements, electrical work and more.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s like the Instacart of auto repair,\u201d said Sally Basurto-Pras, Henry\u2019s daughter and Pras\u2019s wife.<\/p>\n

The mobile version of Henry\u2019s will officially begin on June 1.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\"\"\/Basurto\u2019s daughter, Sally, presents her father with a car cake at the party. Courtesy: Sally Basurto-Pras<\/p>\n

The last car to drive out of the Henry\u2019s Service garage was a 1941 Chevy Master Deluxe, which Henry\u2019s 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.<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019m so sad,\u201d said longtime customer Joseph Gaglione. \u201cI feel like I\u2019ll never meet anyone I can trust like this again.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n

Henry\u2019s Service, 1321 Gilman St., Berkeley. Phone: 510-524-2072.<\/p>\n

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