Valerie and Joseph Bernardo of State College were killed May 1 in a plane crash in Centre County.

Funeral services will be held Wednesday for a Butler native and her husband who died in a small plane crash last week in central Pennsylvania.

Valerie D. Bernardo, 54, and Joseph T. Bernardo, 55, both of State College were killed May 1 when their single-engine plane went down into the side of Sandy Ridge Mountain in Rush Township, Centre County.

Valerie Bernardo was born in Butler. She was a registered dietitian for 28 years and is survived by her mother, Peggy (Yori) King, who lives in Chicora.

Joseph Bernardo, a New Jersey native, was employed at Penn State University as a senior research engineer at the Applied Research Lab.

The Federal Aviation Administration said Joseph Bernardo was piloting a Cessna C172 around 1 p.m. May 1 when it crashed just minutes after takeoff from University Park Airport.

According to the flight-tracking website FlightAware.com, the plane was expected to land at Pittsburgh-Butler Regional Airport in Penn Township. Authorities, however, have not confirmed that destination.

The fixed-wing plane was owned by the flying club Psyfliers, based in State College. Joseph Bernardo was a club member.

Federal investigators immediately began sorting through the crash site, examining the wreckage and downloading data from the plane's engine.

The National Transportation Safety Board will issue a preliminary report, possibly by the end of the month, once the data has been analyzed.

NTSB spokesman Eric Weiss said a final report, which is to include a probable cause for the crash, will be released in one to two years.

Valerie and Joseph Bernardo were married in Rimersburg, Clarion County, and would have celebrated their 33rd anniversary May 18.

They are survived by their two children, both of State College.

Funeral services for the couple will be held at 10 a.m. at Park Forest Baptist Church in State College. Burial will follow at Boalsburg Cemetery.