Pilar is the fifty-something matriarch of the Crane family. She was born in Mexico, but moved to Harmony in her twenties as the young wife of Martin Fitzgerald. She immediately got a job working for the wealthy Winthrop family, becoming Ivy's personal maid when Ivy was only a small child. When Ivy wed Julian, Pilar went with her to the Crane household.

Martin disappeared when Pilar was pregnant with their youngest daughter, Paloma, leaving her with four children under the age of 12. Within days of her husband's disappearance, her 10-yr-old son, Antonio, also disappeared, leaving her with three children under the age of 8 and a pending birth. When Paloma was born (or shortly thereafter), Pilar sent her back to Mexico to live with her sister Maria -- she was working two jobs, and the care of toddlers Theresa and Miguel often fell on Luis' young shoulders.

Although Pilar has always been loyal to Ivy (keeping the secret about Ethan's paternity), her first loyalty is to her family. She knew Theresa was stalking and scheming to break up Ethan and Gwen, but did nothing to stop her daughter. Nor did she take any preventative methods when she learned that Theresa had been snooping and had come across the papers that proved that Ethan was Sam Bennett's son. Even when Theresa lied outright to her employer and her son, Pilar kept quiet.

With the secret about Ethan finally out in the open, Pilar's only problem is to try to keep Ivy from haunting Sam -- she refuses to leave Sam alone, even though his wife is in the hospital recovering from a recent miscarriage.