Divestiture Related Activities (Details) (USD $)	12 Months Ended
	Dec. 31, 2013	Dec. 31, 2012	Dec. 31, 2011
Current assets held for sale	$ 4,569,000	$ 0
Asset Impairment Charges	800,000
(Losses) gains on divestitures	(3,350,000)	617,000	(8,526,000)
Impairment losses	(2,913,000)	(2,150,000)	(2,451,000)
Losses on divestitures and impairment charges, net	(6,263,000)	(1,533,000)	(10,977,000)
Preneed funeral and cemetery receivables and trust investments	342,728,000
Cemetery property	83,115,000
Property and equipment, net	63,356,000
Goodwill	126,877,000
Non-current assets held for sale	737,552,000	0
Deferred charges and other assets, held for sale	38,050,000
Cemetery perpetual care trust investments	83,426,000
Total assets	742,121,000
Current liabilities held for sale	3,183,000	0
Deferred preneed funeral and cemetery revenues and deferred receipts held in trusts	340,418,000
Care trusts' corpus	83,426,000
Other long term liabilities	4,209,000
Total liabilities	431,236,000
Net assets held for sale	$ 310,885,000