She was a CHEO operating room nurse who discovered, through a clowning workshop, that she had other gifts for improving the well-being of young patients and their families — with laughter and play.

That led to a new role for Ruth Cull, along with a distinctive new uniform consisting of blue hair, a red nose, brightly striped clothing, floppy shoes and an ever-present smile.

For more than two decades, Cull, also known as Mollypenny, was a colourful fixture in the hallways of CHEO — the pediatric hospital’s first-ever therapeutic clown. When she retired in 2022, there was an outpouring from those she had touched during her decades on the job.

Cull died this week.

“The world has a little less colour this morning,” former CHEO president and CEO Alex Munter posted on Facebook Monday.

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