They call themselves “The Darby Boys” and they’ve been friends forever.  When they learned one of their own was battling colon cancer, they planned a trip, writes Peg DeGrassa for the Daily Times.

This summer, two dozen of the Darby Boys rented a home in Winter Park, Colo., in honor of Richie “Bones” Jones, of Aurora, Colo.

“Rich was the one who kept us together for years, by coming to town on business and getting us together, even though he lived in Colorado,” Bill Giffin, of Aldan, said.

The lifelong friendships of The Darby Boys were forged in the streets, alleys and ballfields of Darby Borough. They’ve been there for each other through six decades.

The Boys get together annually for a “Mountain Man Retreat” in the Poconos.

“Richie made it to every one of our Mountain Man Retreats in the Poconos. This time, we wanted to bring the retreat to him,” said Bob Whomsley of Ridley Park.

A rainbow was spotted over the Rocky Mountains on their first evening in Winter Park.

 “It was another sign of hope,” recalled Joe McKenzie. “The first sign was seeing Rich Jones, our lifelong friend from Darby.”

Read more at the Daily Times about the Darby Boys.