As Written by Liz Solosky in the Corpus Christi Alumni Paper

“A good mechanic is hard to find� is often said and is usually true. However, there is one, a good man with an honest business on Willis Avenue. John Berning and his wife Lisa run the Hawthorne Service Station on Willis Avenue. John inherited the business from his father, John Sr. who started the business in 1945. Although it was not always located at the present location, it has been serving our community for over half a century.

John is a good man. He is always there at the station or out on an emergency call. Lisa said “We do not like to call them customers; they are our neighbors, people we share our community with�. Their shop is open 5 days a week and closed on weekends. If there is a problem while he is working on your car he calls you, you can trust him. He is the honest mechanic.

One very cold and icy day last year, I was at Corpus Christi School picking up my children from school and discovered I had a flat. I panicked for a moment and called John. His shop is right down the road about 1 ½ miles. I said “Listen, if you talk me through it, I could change the tire�. He laughed at me and said he would be there in 5 minutes. Sure enough, he was, and changed the tire on the spot, in the snow and ice. I have to admit, I was happy I did not have to do it myself. When I thanked him, he simply said, “No, this is what I do� and he does it graciously.

John Graduated Corpus Christi in 1976. He was raised and lives in Mineola.