Lea's father Stjepan, shortly before the arrest, hid in the Sisters of Mercy Hospital, where he was hidden by the local medical doctor, dr Vilko Panac, under the pretense that he has a contagious disease and needs to be kept in hospital for treatment. He knew that he would be arrested, but he believed that women and children, especially such famous children as Lea Deutsch, would not be touched by anyone.
The whole family, however, was arrested, but thanks to dr. Panac, he survived the war. He kept living in Zagreb and worked as a lawyer. He died in 1959, and was buried in Jewish cemetery in Mirogoj. A small photography of Lea is on his tombstone.