FAIRHOPE, Ala. - Barbara Davis, Fairhope’s cheerful “Tomato Lady,” who has sold fresh produce on a downtown street for nearly 40 years until sidelined by an injury this June, is recovering after knee surgery Monday.

“She is in fair condition,” Thomas Hospital spokesperson Ange Baggett said yesterday, adding that Davis is expected to return home this week.

The knee joint replacement operation by orthopedic surgeon Dr. John Rodriguez-Feo, which began at about noon Monday, lasted around two hours, grandson Jonathan Davis said Monday night.

“She is OK,” he said. “She’s recovering now and should go home in a couple days.”

He said his grandmother will need physical rehabilitation therapy that will require frequent travel from Bay Minette to Rodriguez-Feo’s Eastern Shore Orthopedic Center.

All of the medical costs, including the surgery, titanium joint and related hospital expenses were donated, Jonathan Davis said.

Davis first injured her knee about three years ago while lifting a box off her pickup truck- which was a familiar daily presence on Church Street for decades - but re-injured it this June after falling at her Bay Minette home.

Without health insurance or other income, Davis received assistance from the local community, which rallied around her with several fundraising efforts including an August barbecue. Around $30,000 has been raised to help with living and other expenses, said Roland Neeson, one of the main community organizers for the barbecue and other efforts.

The date of the August barbecue was dedicated by the City Council and proclaimed by Mayor Tim Kant as “Barbara Davis Day,” for her “service to this community which deserves very special recognition.”

During the August council meeting, Davis received the proclamation and stood on a walker, clearly emotional while Kant talked about her unique contributions to the community.

Davis could not be reached after her surgery, but shortly after her June injury she said she planned to return to her downtown street corner with fresh vegetables and fruit as soon as she was able after her surgery.

“Barbara epitomizes what is special about Fairhope,” Neeson said. “She’s a person who has touched a lot of people.”