BUCKTOWN — Wilfredo Cintron, a beloved ice cream man who for five decades sold dollar cones, sundaes and banana splits across numerous Chicago neighborhoods, has died.

Cintron died over the weekend from cancer, said his son, Jay Cintron. He was 83.

For decades, Wilfredo Cintron’s San Juan Freezer ice cream truck has been a constant presence over the summer in Bucktown, Logan Square, Humboldt Park and other Northwest Side neighborhoods.

Cintron had served up his ice cream treats since coming to Chicago in the mid-’70s from Puerto Rico after a few years in Connecticut, Jay Cintron said.

Family and neighbors remembered Cintron as a hardworking, affectionate man who was inspired to go to work each day by the generations of customers he served.

“Everybody who knows about my dad knows how good of a person he was,” Jay Cintron said. “He’s just a good dude.”

Robert Magiet, a local restaurant owner who has known Wilfredo Cintron for years, has also set up a GoFundMe to support Cintron’s wife, Brigida . He hopes to raise at least $20,000.

Cintron was born in Orocovis, Puerto Rico, where he was raised by his grandmother.

Cintron eventually moved to Bridgeport, Connecticut, where he lived for five years and worked as a cook, Jay Cintron said. But his lifelong home became Chicago when he moved to the city in 1974; soon after, he began selling ice cream.

Jay Cintron said his father quickly earned the respect of every neighbor along his route.

“No one ever messed with him. No one ever rode on his trucks. Nobody ever put graffiti on his trucks. Because they respected that man that much,” he said. “If you want to go know about my dad, talk to his customers, because they love that guy.”

Despite rising costs over the years, Cintron kept his price for a basic cone at only $1 for almost his entire time in business. He raised the price to just $1.50 a few years ago, his son said.

“I asked him, ‘Why do you sell ice cream cones for $1?’ And he tells me, ‘Because it’s easier for the father or the mother to give the babies $1 then to give them $2 or $1.50,'” Jay Cintron said. “That was my dad’s motive; he always thought about the kids.”

While Cintron was a fixture outside parks and pools and on street corners in the summer, he would take his truck out anytime it got nice, his son said — even on a fluke warm day in February and into the fall months.

“It always depended on the weather. If it was a nice day, he was out there,” Jay Cintron said.

Cintron faced his fair share of hardships in recent years.

In 2020, he had to start the season late due to the pandemic — and even then, there were fewer people around with pools and summer camps shut down. Cintron was also having issues with his old generator, which was making noticeably loud noises as he drove.

That’s when neighbors Ellen Zfaney and her husband Steve Adolph, who had known Cintron for years, stepped in to launch a GoFundMe . It eventually raised more than $10,000 for a generator.

“Everybody in the world needs a few feel-good stories these days, just with so much turmoil in the world, and Wilfredo, he was just all love and generosity and purity,” Adolph said Wednesday. “I really loved the man. My whole family really loved him.”

Last year, Wilfredo and Jay Cintron were robbed at gunpoint while on the job in West Town, with thieves making off with all the cash they had, according to CBS2 .

That led Magiet to host the San Juan Freezer outside his Bucktown restaurant, The StopAlong, and buy ice creams for neighbors — netting Cintron about $2,400 by the end of the day .

Speaking to Block Club at the time, Cintron said one of his favorite parts about working in the community was seeing customers who bought ice cream from him as kids start to bring their own families to his truck.

“People know me here, it’s why I stayed,” he said in Spanish. “The majority of people treat me very well.”

Magiet said he really got to know Cintron while he was struggling during the early days of the pandemic.

Magiet ended up paying for free cones from San Juan at parks that year to help support the business. Magiet has also hosted the ice cream truck during events at his restaurants, his kids’ soccer games and more.

“Just whatever we can do to support him. He was such an amazing guy and always had a smile on his face,” Magiet said. “So many times I would see kids run up to his truck that didn’t have money, and he still gave them ice cream. Just a great, great person.”

A visitation is planned for Cintron 5-9 p.m. Saturday at Alvarez Funeral Directors, 2500 N. Cicero Ave. Jay Cintron said all of his father’s customers are invited to stop by, and he plans to bring out the San Juan Freezer for free cones, although donations will be accepted.

Jay Cintron wants his dad to be remembered as a caring man who loved his community — and the customers who lined up on hot summer days for his soft serve.

“Just live by his motto. Live, love, life,” Jay Cintron said. “Because that’s what he was about.”