Isabella Mary Gainsford

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While living in Ontario, Macdonald was a particular favourite of her grandfather, John A. Macdonald, who nicknamed her "Puss". As a young child, she was given the nickname Daisy because once, when playing in a field of daisies, someone remarked that the flowers were the same colour as her hair.
In 1883, the Macdonald family relocated to Winnipeg. Macdonald attended in Winnipeg for about a month in 1887. She was then sent away to Ottawa to attend Miss Harmon's Boarding school. While in Ottawa, she spent a number of weekends in Earnscliffe with her grandfather. While at Dalnavert, Gainsford enjoyed hobbies such as fencing, pistol shooting, piano, and harp. Their first son, Hugh Alexander George Macdonald Gainsford, was born in 1918. Their second son, Lionel was born four years later and predeceased Daisy Gainsford, dying in 1963.
In 1931, Gainsford inherited the "principle and income of the testimonial fund" of her grandfather, John A. Macdonald, after controversy surrounding the interpretation of his will. In 1955, she was the guest of honour at the Conservative Second Century Banquet held by the Conservative Party of Canada in Winnipeg. Gainsford was a close personal friend of John Diefenbaker and received special birthday wishes from the then Prime Minister in 1959. She was buried at St. John's Cemetery in the family plot alongside her father, step-mother, and half-brother.<ref name":10" /><ref name":9" />

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