Preneed Funeral Activities Schedule of Unrealized Loss on Investments (Details) - Funeral - USD ($) $ in Thousands	Sep. 30, 2016	Dec. 31, 2015
Schedule of unrealized loss on investments [Line Items]
Available-for-sale Securities, Continuous Unrealized Loss Position, Less than Twelve Months, Fair Value	$ 129,836	$ 548,240
Available-for-sale Securities, Continuous Unrealized Loss Position, Less than 12 Months, Accumulated Loss	(12,367)	(48,832)
Available-for-sale Securities, Continuous Unrealized Loss Position, Twelve Months or Longer, Fair Value	256,227	167,817
Available-for-sale Securities, Continuous Unrealized Loss Position, 12 Months or Longer, Accumulated Loss	(37,269)	(41,727)
Available-for-sale Securities, Continuous Unrealized Loss Position, Fair Value	386,063	716,057
Available-for-sale Securities, Continuous Unrealized Loss Position, Accumulated Loss	(49,636)	(90,559)
Estimate of Fair Value Measurement [Member]
Schedule of unrealized loss on investments [Line Items]
Available-for-sale Securities, Continuous Unrealized Loss Position, Less than Twelve Months, Fair Value	128,963	479,662
Available-for-sale Securities, Continuous Unrealized Loss Position, Less than 12 Months, Accumulated Loss	(11,908)	(48,390)
Available-for-sale Securities, Continuous Unrealized Loss Position, Twelve Months or Longer, Fair Value	236,859	149,104
Available-for-sale Securities, Continuous Unrealized Loss Position, 12 Months or Longer, Accumulated Loss	(33,452)	(35,260)
Available-for-sale Securities, Continuous Unrealized Loss Position, Fair Value	365,822	628,766
Available-for-sale Securities, Continuous Unrealized Loss Position, Accumulated Loss	(45,360)	(83,650)
Reported at net asset value
Schedule of unrealized loss on investments [Line Items]
Available-for-sale Securities, Continuous Unrealized Loss Position, Less than Twelve Months, Fair Value	873	68,578
Available-for-sale Securities, Continuous Unrealized Loss Position, Less than 12 Months, Accumulated Loss	(459)	(442)
Available-for-sale Securities, Continuous Unrealized Loss Position, Twelve Months or Longer, Fair Value	19,368	18,713
Available-for-sale Securities, Continuous Unrealized Loss Position, 12 Months or Longer, Accumulated Loss	(3,817)	(6,467)
Available-for-sale Securities, Continuous Unrealized Loss Position, Fair Value	20,241	87,291
Available-for-sale Securities, Continuous Unrealized Loss Position, Accumulated Loss	(4,276)	(6,909)
US Treasury Securities
Schedule of unrealized loss on investments [Line Items]
Available-for-sale Securities, Continuous Unrealized Loss Position, Less than Twelve Months, Fair Value	7,926	37,008
Available-for-sale Securities, Continuous Unrealized Loss Position, Less than 12 Months, Accumulated Loss	(45)	(1,273)
Available-for-sale Securities, Continuous Unrealized Loss Position, Twelve Months or Longer, Fair Value	4,366	4,687
Available-for-sale Securities, Continuous Unrealized Loss Position, 12 Months or Longer, Accumulated Loss	(57)	(58)
Available-for-sale Securities, Continuous Unrealized Loss Position, Fair Value	12,292	41,695
Available-for-sale Securities, Continuous Unrealized Loss Position, Accumulated Loss	(102)	(1,331)
Foreign Government Debt Securities
Schedule of unrealized loss on investments [Line Items]
Available-for-sale Securities, Continuous Unrealized Loss Position, Less than Twelve Months, Fair Value	2,989	2,336
Available-for-sale Securities, Continuous Unrealized Loss Position, Less than 12 Months, Accumulated Loss	(107)	(17)
Available-for-sale Securities, Continuous Unrealized Loss Position, Twelve Months or Longer, Fair Value	13,170	11,535
Available-for-sale Securities, Continuous Unrealized Loss Position, 12 Months or Longer, Accumulated Loss	(256)	(638)
Available-for-sale Securities, Continuous Unrealized Loss Position, Fair Value	16,159	13,871
Available-for-sale Securities, Continuous Unrealized Loss Position, Accumulated Loss	(363)	(655)
Corporate Debt Securities
Schedule of unrealized loss on investments [Line Items]
Available-for-sale Securities, Continuous Unrealized Loss Position, Less than Twelve Months, Fair Value	1,743	4,644
Available-for-sale Securities, Continuous Unrealized Loss Position, Less than 12 Months, Accumulated Loss	(18)	(156)
Available-for-sale Securities, Continuous Unrealized Loss Position, Twelve Months or Longer, Fair Value	3,073	4,025
Available-for-sale Securities, Continuous Unrealized Loss Position, 12 Months or Longer, Accumulated Loss	(36)	(128)
Available-for-sale Securities, Continuous Unrealized Loss Position, Fair Value	4,816	8,669
Available-for-sale Securities, Continuous Unrealized Loss Position, Accumulated Loss	(54)	(284)
Residential Mortgage Backed Securities
Schedule of unrealized loss on investments [Line Items]
Available-for-sale Securities, Continuous Unrealized Loss Position, Less than Twelve Months, Fair Value		377
Available-for-sale Securities, Continuous Unrealized Loss Position, Less than 12 Months, Accumulated Loss		(6)
Available-for-sale Securities, Continuous Unrealized Loss Position, Twelve Months or Longer, Fair Value		133
Available-for-sale Securities, Continuous Unrealized Loss Position, 12 Months or Longer, Accumulated Loss		(16)
Available-for-sale Securities, Continuous Unrealized Loss Position, Fair Value		510
Available-for-sale Securities, Continuous Unrealized Loss Position, Accumulated Loss		(22)
Preferred Stock Securities
Schedule of unrealized loss on investments [Line Items]
Available-for-sale Securities, Continuous Unrealized Loss Position, Less than Twelve Months, Fair Value	0	448
Available-for-sale Securities, Continuous Unrealized Loss Position, Less than 12 Months, Accumulated Loss	0	(60)
Available-for-sale Securities, Continuous Unrealized Loss Position, Twelve Months or Longer, Fair Value	150	42
Available-for-sale Securities, Continuous Unrealized Loss Position, 12 Months or Longer, Accumulated Loss	(109)	(98)
Available-for-sale Securities, Continuous Unrealized Loss Position, Fair Value	150	490
Available-for-sale Securities, Continuous Unrealized Loss Position, Accumulated Loss	(109)	(158)
US Common Stock Securities
Schedule of unrealized loss on investments [Line Items]
Available-for-sale Securities, Continuous Unrealized Loss Position, Less than Twelve Months, Fair Value	77,947	128,725
Available-for-sale Securities, Continuous Unrealized Loss Position, Less than 12 Months, Accumulated Loss	(9,198)	(16,448)
Available-for-sale Securities, Continuous Unrealized Loss Position, Twelve Months or Longer, Fair Value	25,271	14,531
Available-for-sale Securities, Continuous Unrealized Loss Position, 12 Months or Longer, Accumulated Loss	(3,845)	(2,701)
Available-for-sale Securities, Continuous Unrealized Loss Position, Fair Value	103,218	143,256
Available-for-sale Securities, Continuous Unrealized Loss Position, Accumulated Loss	(13,043)	(19,149)
Canada Common Stock Securities
Schedule of unrealized loss on investments [Line Items]
Available-for-sale Securities, Continuous Unrealized Loss Position, Less than Twelve Months, Fair Value	0	1,956
Available-for-sale Securities, Continuous Unrealized Loss Position, Less than 12 Months, Accumulated Loss	0	(355)
Available-for-sale Securities, Continuous Unrealized Loss Position, Twelve Months or Longer, Fair Value	3,211	1,097
Available-for-sale Securities, Continuous Unrealized Loss Position, 12 Months or Longer, Accumulated Loss	(633)	(722)
Available-for-sale Securities, Continuous Unrealized Loss Position, Fair Value	3,211	3,053
Available-for-sale Securities, Continuous Unrealized Loss Position, Accumulated Loss	(633)	(1,077)
Other International Common Stock Securities
Schedule of unrealized loss on investments [Line Items]
Available-for-sale Securities, Continuous Unrealized Loss Position, Less than Twelve Months, Fair Value	6,419	9,458
Available-for-sale Securities, Continuous Unrealized Loss Position, Less than 12 Months, Accumulated Loss	(989)	(1,638)
Available-for-sale Securities, Continuous Unrealized Loss Position, Twelve Months or Longer, Fair Value	6,259	6,151
Available-for-sale Securities, Continuous Unrealized Loss Position, 12 Months or Longer, Accumulated Loss	(1,619)	(2,269)
Available-for-sale Securities, Continuous Unrealized Loss Position, Fair Value	12,678	15,609
Available-for-sale Securities, Continuous Unrealized Loss Position, Accumulated Loss	(2,608)	(3,907)
Equity Funds
Schedule of unrealized loss on investments [Line Items]
Available-for-sale Securities, Continuous Unrealized Loss Position, Less than Twelve Months, Fair Value	22,807	185,726
Available-for-sale Securities, Continuous Unrealized Loss Position, Less than 12 Months, Accumulated Loss	(1,207)	(23,385)
Available-for-sale Securities, Continuous Unrealized Loss Position, Twelve Months or Longer, Fair Value	147,218	79,855
Available-for-sale Securities, Continuous Unrealized Loss Position, 12 Months or Longer, Accumulated Loss	(19,859)	(20,590)
Available-for-sale Securities, Continuous Unrealized Loss Position, Fair Value	170,025	265,581
Available-for-sale Securities, Continuous Unrealized Loss Position, Accumulated Loss	(21,066)	(43,975)
Fixed Income Funds
Schedule of unrealized loss on investments [Line Items]
Available-for-sale Securities, Continuous Unrealized Loss Position, Less than Twelve Months, Fair Value	9,105	108,984
Available-for-sale Securities, Continuous Unrealized Loss Position, Less than 12 Months, Accumulated Loss	(342)	(5,052)
Available-for-sale Securities, Continuous Unrealized Loss Position, Twelve Months or Longer, Fair Value	32,980	27,048
Available-for-sale Securities, Continuous Unrealized Loss Position, 12 Months or Longer, Accumulated Loss	(7,030)	(8,040)
Available-for-sale Securities, Continuous Unrealized Loss Position, Fair Value	42,085	136,032
Available-for-sale Securities, Continuous Unrealized Loss Position, Accumulated Loss	(7,372)	(13,092)
Private Equity Funds | Reported at net asset value
Schedule of unrealized loss on investments [Line Items]
Available-for-sale Securities, Continuous Unrealized Loss Position, Less than Twelve Months, Fair Value	873	0
Available-for-sale Securities, Continuous Unrealized Loss Position, Less than 12 Months, Accumulated Loss	(459)	0
Available-for-sale Securities, Continuous Unrealized Loss Position, Twelve Months or Longer, Fair Value	19,368	18,713
Available-for-sale Securities, Continuous Unrealized Loss Position, 12 Months or Longer, Accumulated Loss	(3,817)	(6,467)
Available-for-sale Securities, Continuous Unrealized Loss Position, Fair Value	20,241	18,713
Available-for-sale Securities, Continuous Unrealized Loss Position, Accumulated Loss	(4,276)	(6,467)
Other Investments
Schedule of unrealized loss on investments [Line Items]
Available-for-sale Securities, Continuous Unrealized Loss Position, Less than Twelve Months, Fair Value	27
Available-for-sale Securities, Continuous Unrealized Loss Position, Less than 12 Months, Accumulated Loss	(2)
Available-for-sale Securities, Continuous Unrealized Loss Position, Twelve Months or Longer, Fair Value	1,161
Available-for-sale Securities, Continuous Unrealized Loss Position, 12 Months or Longer, Accumulated Loss	(8)
Available-for-sale Securities, Continuous Unrealized Loss Position, Fair Value	1,188
Available-for-sale Securities, Continuous Unrealized Loss Position, Accumulated Loss	$ (10)
Fixed Income Commingled funds [Member] | Reported at net asset value
Schedule of unrealized loss on investments [Line Items]
Available-for-sale Securities, Continuous Unrealized Loss Position, Less than Twelve Months, Fair Value		68,578
Available-for-sale Securities, Continuous Unrealized Loss Position, Less than 12 Months, Accumulated Loss		(442)
Available-for-sale Securities, Continuous Unrealized Loss Position, Twelve Months or Longer, Fair Value		0
Available-for-sale Securities, Continuous Unrealized Loss Position, 12 Months or Longer, Accumulated Loss		0
Available-for-sale Securities, Continuous Unrealized Loss Position, Fair Value		68,578
Available-for-sale Securities, Continuous Unrealized Loss Position, Accumulated Loss		$ (442)