Goodwill and Intangible Assets Goodwill and Intangible Assets Level 3 (Tables)

12 Months Ended

Dec. 31, 2014

Goodwill and Intangible Assets Disclosure [Abstract]

Schedule of Goodwill [Table Text Block]

The changes in the carrying amounts of goodwill for our funeral and cemetery reporting units are as follows: (in thousands):

	2014									2013
	Funeral			Cemetery			Total			Funeral			Cemetery			Total
	(in thousands)
Balance as of January 1,	$	1,526,011		$	299,710		$	1,825,721		$	1,248,316		$	43,078		$	1,291,394
Increase in goodwill related to acquisitions	292			3,238			3,530			318,202			258,659			576,861
Reduction of goodwill related to divestitures	(5,959		)	(2,960		)	(8,919		)	(31,844		)	(2,027		)	(33,871		)
Effect of foreign currency and other	(9,465		)	(14		)	(9,479		)	(8,663		)	—			(8,663		)
Activity	(15,132		)	264			(14,868		)	277,695			256,632			534,327
Balance as of December 31,	$	1,510,879		$	299,974		$	1,810,853		$	1,526,011		$	299,710		$	1,825,721

Schedule of Intangible Assets [Table Text Block]

The components of intangible assets at December 31 were as follows:

	Useful life
	Minimum		Maximum	2014		2013
	(Years)			(In thousands)
Amortizing intangibles:
Covenants-not-to-compete	2	-	20	$	209,920	$	217,758
Customer relationships	10	-	20	148,351		151,427
Tradenames	5	-	5	12,750		12,750
Other	5	-	40	11,927		17,027
				382,948		398,962
Less: Accumulated amortization				220,682		227,119
Amortizing intangibles, net				162,266		171,843
Non-amortizing intangibles:
Tradenames			Indefinite	220,875		215,135
Other			Indefinite	10,640		11,640
Non-amortizing intangibles				231,515		226,775
Intangible assets, net				$	393,781	$	398,618

Schedule of Expected Amortization Expense [Table Text Block]

The following is estimated amortization expense, excluding certain intangibles for which we are unable to provide an estimate because they are amortized based on specific identification in the performance of a preneed contract, for the five years subsequent to December 31, 2014 (in thousands):

2015	$	9,946
2016	$	9,206
2017	$	7,484
2018	$	6,627
2019	$	4,144