Preneed Funeral Activities Preneed Funeral Activities, Textuals (Details) (USD $)	12 Months Ended
Dec. 31, 2013	Dec. 31, 2012	Dec. 31, 2011
Insurance Commissions and Fees	$ 106,500,000	$ 94,000,000	$ 86,800,000
Funeral [Member]
Fair Value, Measurement with unobservable inputs, risk discount, low end of the range	0.00%	0.00%
Fair Value, Measurement with unobservable inputs, risk discount, high end of the range	20.00%	60.00%
Fair Value, Measurement with unobservable inputs, liquidity discount, high end of the range	0.00%	0.00%
Fair Value, Measurement with unobservable inputs, liquidity discount, high end of the range	10.00%	25.00%
Fair Value, Investments, Entities that Calculate Net Asset Value Per Share, Unfunded Commitments	8,100,000
Underlying assets liquidation range, minimum	2 years
Underlying assets liquidation range, maximum	10 years
Available-for-sale securities, estimated maturity date, minimum	2014
Available-for-sale securities, estimated maturity date, maximum	2043
Investment Earnings, Net	48,500,000	38,700,000	37,700,000
Other than Temporary Impairment Losses, Investments, Portion Recognized in Earnings, Net	$ 829,000	$ 781,000	$ 24,705,000

Available-for-sale securities, estimated maturity date, maximum

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Available-for-sale securities, estimated maturity date, minimum

+ References

No definition available.

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- Definition

Fair Value, Measurement with unobservable inputs, liquidity discount, high end of the range

+ References

No definition available.

+ Details

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- Definition

Fair Value, Measurement with unobservable inputs, liquidity discount, low end of the range

+ References

No definition available.

+ Details

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- Definition

Fair Value, Measurement with unobservable inputs, risk discount, high end of the range

+ References

No definition available.

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- Definition

Fair Value, Measurement with unobservable inputs, risk discount, low end of the range

+ References

No definition available.

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- Definition

This item represents investment income derived from investments in debt and equity securities consisting of interest income earned from investments in debt securities and on cash and cash equivalents, dividend income from investments in equity securities, and income or expense derived from the amortization of investment related discounts or premiums, respectively, net of related investment expenses. This item also includes realized or unrealized gains or losses on the sale or holding of investments in debt and equity securities required to be included in earnings for the period. It does not include investment income from real or personal property, such as rental income.

+ References

No definition available.

+ Details

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- Definition

The estimated maximum term for the underlying assets to be liquidated.

+ References

No definition available.

+ Details

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- Definition

The estimated minimum term for the underlying assets to be liquidated.

+ References

No definition available.

+ Details

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- Definition

The amount of unfunded commitments for which the entity is obligated, to those certain investments for which net asset value per share is calculated (including by unit, membership interest, or other equity (ownership interest) unit measure) (alternative investments).

+ References

Reference 1: http://www.xbrl.org/2003/role/presentationRef

-Publisher FASB

-Name Accounting Standards Codification

-Topic 820

-SubTopic 10

-Section 50

-Paragraph 6A

-Subparagraph (c)

-URI http://asc.fasb.org/extlink&oid=25499696&loc=SL6742756-110258

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- Definition

Income from agency and brokerage operations (includes sales of annuities and supplemental contracts); service charges, commissions, and fees from the sale of insurance and related services; and management fees from separate accounts, deferred annuities, and universal life products.

+ References

Reference 1: http://www.xbrl.org/2003/role/presentationRef

-Publisher FASB

-Name Accounting Standards Codification

-Topic 944

-SubTopic 225

-Section S99

-Paragraph 1

-Subparagraph (SX 210.7-04.4)

-URI http://asc.fasb.org/extlink&oid=6879464&loc=d3e573970-122913

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-Publisher FASB

-Name Accounting Standards Codification

-Topic 942

-SubTopic 225

-Section S99

-Paragraph 1

-Subparagraph (SX 210.9-04.13(c),(d))

-URI http://asc.fasb.org/extlink&oid=6879574&loc=d3e536633-122882

Reference 3: http://www.xbrl.org/2003/role/presentationRef

-Publisher SEC

-Name Regulation S-X (SX)

-Number 210

-Section 04

-Paragraph 13

-Subparagraph c, d

-Article 9

Reference 4: http://www.xbrl.org/2003/role/presentationRef

-Publisher SEC

-Name Regulation S-X (SX)

-Number 210

-Section 04

-Paragraph 4

-Article 7

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- Definition

The amount of other than temporary impairment (OTTI) losses on equity securities, OTTI related to credit losses on debt securities, and OTTI losses on debt securities when the entity intends to sell the securities or it is more likely than not that the entity will be required to sell the securities before recovery of its amortized cost basis. Additionally, this item includes OTTI losses recognized during the period on investments accounted for under the cost method of accounting.

+ References

Reference 1: http://www.xbrl.org/2003/role/presentationRef

-Publisher FASB

-Name Accounting Standards Codification

-Topic 320

-SubTopic 10

-Section 50

-Paragraph 8B

-URI http://asc.fasb.org/extlink&oid=27724398&loc=SL6284393-111563

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