In an attempt to save his and his family’s lives, Koffler most likely first took refuge at Henryk Apte’s home on the outskirts of Wieliczka (near Kraków). According to his sister-in-law Gizela Hercholorfer, however, from 1942 he already settled in Krościenko Niżne near Krosno (between Lwów and Kraków).
The sister of the composer’s wife then stayed in Krosno and in 1942 she accidentally encountered him at the railway station in that city. Later they would meet from time to time. More recent research by Maciej Gołąb suggest that Koffler, his wife and son may have found shelter at the house of the local parish organist Władysław Piękoś (1905–1988) in Krościenko Wyżne, just half a kilometre from Krościenko Niżne. In later months they may have found another place there but they remained in Krościenko Wyżne. None of them survived, though. According to one version of the family’s end (presented by Marzanna Pluta-Kotyńska), Róża Koffler’s Semitic features eventually attracted the attention of the Germans, and when she was captured, her husband and son also handed themselves over.
