Preneed Funeral Activities Schedule of Unrealized Loss on Investments (Details) (Funeral [Member], USD $) In Thousands	Sep. 30, 2011	Dec. 31, 2010
Schedule of unrealized loss on investments [Line Items]
Available-for-sale Securities, Continuous Unrealized Loss Position, Less than Twelve Months, Fair Value	$ 263,182	$ 84,655
Available-for-sale Securities, Continuous Unrealized Loss Position, Less than 12 Months, Aggregate Losses	(51,453)	(5,235)
Available-for-sale Securities, Continuous Unrealized Loss Position, Twelve Months or Longer, Fair Value	97,869	108,789
Available-for-sale Securities, Continuous Unrealized Loss Position, 12 Months or Longer, Aggregate Losses	(43,556)	(48,290)
Available-for-sale Securities, Continuous Unrealized Loss Position, Fair Value	361,051	193,444
Available-for-sale Securities, Continuous Unrealized Loss Position, Aggregate Losses	(95,009)	(53,525)
US Treasury Securities [Member]
Schedule of unrealized loss on investments [Line Items]
Available-for-sale Securities, Continuous Unrealized Loss Position, Less than Twelve Months, Fair Value	8,064	10,433
Available-for-sale Securities, Continuous Unrealized Loss Position, Less than 12 Months, Aggregate Losses	(80)	(316)
Available-for-sale Securities, Continuous Unrealized Loss Position, Twelve Months or Longer, Fair Value	9,021	393
Available-for-sale Securities, Continuous Unrealized Loss Position, 12 Months or Longer, Aggregate Losses	(256)	(18)
Available-for-sale Securities, Continuous Unrealized Loss Position, Fair Value	17,085	10,826
Available-for-sale Securities, Continuous Unrealized Loss Position, Aggregate Losses	(336)	(334)
Foreign Government Debt Securities [Member]
Schedule of unrealized loss on investments [Line Items]
Available-for-sale Securities, Continuous Unrealized Loss Position, Less than Twelve Months, Fair Value	9,536	1,632
Available-for-sale Securities, Continuous Unrealized Loss Position, Less than 12 Months, Aggregate Losses	(48)	(2)
Available-for-sale Securities, Continuous Unrealized Loss Position, Twelve Months or Longer, Fair Value	105	668
Available-for-sale Securities, Continuous Unrealized Loss Position, 12 Months or Longer, Aggregate Losses	(2)	(18)
Available-for-sale Securities, Continuous Unrealized Loss Position, Fair Value	9,641	2,300
Available-for-sale Securities, Continuous Unrealized Loss Position, Aggregate Losses	(50)	(20)
Residential Mortgage Backed Securities [Member]
Schedule of unrealized loss on investments [Line Items]
Available-for-sale Securities, Continuous Unrealized Loss Position, Less than Twelve Months, Fair Value	369	836
Available-for-sale Securities, Continuous Unrealized Loss Position, Less than 12 Months, Aggregate Losses	(2)	(9)
Available-for-sale Securities, Continuous Unrealized Loss Position, Twelve Months or Longer, Fair Value	391	263
Available-for-sale Securities, Continuous Unrealized Loss Position, 12 Months or Longer, Aggregate Losses	(30)	(13)
Available-for-sale Securities, Continuous Unrealized Loss Position, Fair Value	760	1,099
Available-for-sale Securities, Continuous Unrealized Loss Position, Aggregate Losses	(32)	(22)
Corporate Debt Securities [Member]
Schedule of unrealized loss on investments [Line Items]
Available-for-sale Securities, Continuous Unrealized Loss Position, Less than Twelve Months, Fair Value	20,897	5,619
Available-for-sale Securities, Continuous Unrealized Loss Position, Less than 12 Months, Aggregate Losses	(1,171)	(285)
Available-for-sale Securities, Continuous Unrealized Loss Position, Twelve Months or Longer, Fair Value	979	0
Available-for-sale Securities, Continuous Unrealized Loss Position, 12 Months or Longer, Aggregate Losses	(36)	0
Available-for-sale Securities, Continuous Unrealized Loss Position, Fair Value	21,876	5,619
Available-for-sale Securities, Continuous Unrealized Loss Position, Aggregate Losses	(1,207)	(285)
Asset-backed Securities [Member]
Schedule of unrealized loss on investments [Line Items]
Available-for-sale Securities, Continuous Unrealized Loss Position, Less than Twelve Months, Fair Value		225
Available-for-sale Securities, Continuous Unrealized Loss Position, Less than 12 Months, Aggregate Losses		(1)
Available-for-sale Securities, Continuous Unrealized Loss Position, Twelve Months or Longer, Fair Value		53
Available-for-sale Securities, Continuous Unrealized Loss Position, 12 Months or Longer, Aggregate Losses		(1)
Available-for-sale Securities, Continuous Unrealized Loss Position, Fair Value		278
Available-for-sale Securities, Continuous Unrealized Loss Position, Aggregate Losses		(2)
Preferred Stock securities [Member]
Schedule of unrealized loss on investments [Line Items]
Available-for-sale Securities, Continuous Unrealized Loss Position, Less than Twelve Months, Fair Value	1,645	1,045
Available-for-sale Securities, Continuous Unrealized Loss Position, Less than 12 Months, Aggregate Losses	(292)	(78)
Available-for-sale Securities, Continuous Unrealized Loss Position, Twelve Months or Longer, Fair Value	0	0
Available-for-sale Securities, Continuous Unrealized Loss Position, 12 Months or Longer, Aggregate Losses	0	0
Available-for-sale Securities, Continuous Unrealized Loss Position, Fair Value	1,645	1,045
Available-for-sale Securities, Continuous Unrealized Loss Position, Aggregate Losses	(292)	(78)
US Common Stock Securities [Member]
Schedule of unrealized loss on investments [Line Items]
Available-for-sale Securities, Continuous Unrealized Loss Position, Less than Twelve Months, Fair Value	122,765	41,491
Available-for-sale Securities, Continuous Unrealized Loss Position, Less than 12 Months, Aggregate Losses	(31,623)	(3,019)
Available-for-sale Securities, Continuous Unrealized Loss Position, Twelve Months or Longer, Fair Value	17,031	24,919
Available-for-sale Securities, Continuous Unrealized Loss Position, 12 Months or Longer, Aggregate Losses	(4,645)	(5,372)
Available-for-sale Securities, Continuous Unrealized Loss Position, Fair Value	139,796	66,410
Available-for-sale Securities, Continuous Unrealized Loss Position, Aggregate Losses	(36,268)	(8,391)
Canada Common Stock Securities [Member]
Schedule of unrealized loss on investments [Line Items]
Available-for-sale Securities, Continuous Unrealized Loss Position, Less than Twelve Months, Fair Value	8,374	4,493
Available-for-sale Securities, Continuous Unrealized Loss Position, Less than 12 Months, Aggregate Losses	(1,005)	(324)
Available-for-sale Securities, Continuous Unrealized Loss Position, Twelve Months or Longer, Fair Value	620	1,361
Available-for-sale Securities, Continuous Unrealized Loss Position, 12 Months or Longer, Aggregate Losses	(349)	(474)
Available-for-sale Securities, Continuous Unrealized Loss Position, Fair Value	8,994	5,854
Available-for-sale Securities, Continuous Unrealized Loss Position, Aggregate Losses	(1,354)	(798)
Other International Common Stock Securities [Member]
Schedule of unrealized loss on investments [Line Items]
Available-for-sale Securities, Continuous Unrealized Loss Position, Less than Twelve Months, Fair Value	9,966	5,251
Available-for-sale Securities, Continuous Unrealized Loss Position, Less than 12 Months, Aggregate Losses	(1,867)	(862)
Available-for-sale Securities, Continuous Unrealized Loss Position, Twelve Months or Longer, Fair Value	2,897	3,446
Available-for-sale Securities, Continuous Unrealized Loss Position, 12 Months or Longer, Aggregate Losses	(1,352)	(1,468)
Available-for-sale Securities, Continuous Unrealized Loss Position, Fair Value	12,863	8,697
Available-for-sale Securities, Continuous Unrealized Loss Position, Aggregate Losses	(3,219)	(2,330)
Equity Funds [Member]
Schedule of unrealized loss on investments [Line Items]
Available-for-sale Securities, Continuous Unrealized Loss Position, Less than Twelve Months, Fair Value	53,310	3,778
Available-for-sale Securities, Continuous Unrealized Loss Position, Less than 12 Months, Aggregate Losses	(10,834)	(110)
Available-for-sale Securities, Continuous Unrealized Loss Position, Twelve Months or Longer, Fair Value	45,439	61,844
Available-for-sale Securities, Continuous Unrealized Loss Position, 12 Months or Longer, Aggregate Losses	(12,709)	(18,179)
Available-for-sale Securities, Continuous Unrealized Loss Position, Fair Value	98,749	65,622
Available-for-sale Securities, Continuous Unrealized Loss Position, Aggregate Losses	(23,543)	(18,289)
Fixed Income Funds [Member]
Schedule of unrealized loss on investments [Line Items]
Available-for-sale Securities, Continuous Unrealized Loss Position, Less than Twelve Months, Fair Value	26,896	9,630
Available-for-sale Securities, Continuous Unrealized Loss Position, Less than 12 Months, Aggregate Losses	(3,029)	(156)
Available-for-sale Securities, Continuous Unrealized Loss Position, Twelve Months or Longer, Fair Value	8,746	8,818
Available-for-sale Securities, Continuous Unrealized Loss Position, 12 Months or Longer, Aggregate Losses	(6,966)	(5,472)
Available-for-sale Securities, Continuous Unrealized Loss Position, Fair Value	35,642	18,448
Available-for-sale Securities, Continuous Unrealized Loss Position, Aggregate Losses	(9,995)	(5,628)
Private Equity Funds [Member]
Schedule of unrealized loss on investments [Line Items]
Available-for-sale Securities, Continuous Unrealized Loss Position, Less than Twelve Months, Fair Value	1,360	214
Available-for-sale Securities, Continuous Unrealized Loss Position, Less than 12 Months, Aggregate Losses	(1,502)	(71)
Available-for-sale Securities, Continuous Unrealized Loss Position, Twelve Months or Longer, Fair Value	12,640	6,715
Available-for-sale Securities, Continuous Unrealized Loss Position, 12 Months or Longer, Aggregate Losses	(17,211)	(16,819)
Available-for-sale Securities, Continuous Unrealized Loss Position, Fair Value	14,000	6,929
Available-for-sale Securities, Continuous Unrealized Loss Position, Aggregate Losses	(18,713)	(16,890)
Other Investments [Member]
Schedule of unrealized loss on investments [Line Items]
Available-for-sale Securities, Continuous Unrealized Loss Position, Less than Twelve Months, Fair Value		8
Available-for-sale Securities, Continuous Unrealized Loss Position, Less than 12 Months, Aggregate Losses		(2)
Available-for-sale Securities, Continuous Unrealized Loss Position, Twelve Months or Longer, Fair Value		309
Available-for-sale Securities, Continuous Unrealized Loss Position, 12 Months or Longer, Aggregate Losses		(456)
Available-for-sale Securities, Continuous Unrealized Loss Position, Fair Value		317
Available-for-sale Securities, Continuous Unrealized Loss Position, Aggregate Losses		$ (458)