Preneed Funeral Activities Investment Related Activities (Details) (Funeral [Member], USD $) In Thousands, unless otherwise specified	12 Months Ended
	Dec. 31, 2013	Dec. 31, 2012	Dec. 31, 2011
Funeral [Member]
Investment related activities [Line Items]
Deposits to trust	$ 82,168	$ 81,601	$ 72,750
Withdrawals	125,914	100,635	109,013
Purchases of available-for-sale securities	393,169	563,628	527,681
Sales of available-for-sale securities	435,267	555,709	610,917
Realized gains from sales of available-for-sale securities	65,011	60,833	61,272
Realized losses from sales of available-for-sale securities	$ (9,732)	$ (21,454)	$ (41,162)