Acquisition Acquisition, Textuals (Details) - USD ($) $ in Thousands	3 Months Ended								7 Months Ended	9 Months Ended	12 Months Ended
	Dec. 31, 2018	Sep. 30, 2018	Jun. 30, 2018	Mar. 31, 2018	Dec. 31, 2017	Sep. 30, 2017	Jun. 30, 2017	Mar. 31, 2017	Dec. 31, 2018	Sep. 30, 2018	Dec. 31, 2018	Dec. 31, 2017	Dec. 31, 2016
Acquisitions [Abstract]
(Losses) gains on divestitures											$ 20,340	$ 29,053	$ 7,829
Impairment losses											(4,407)	(22,038)	(34,648)
Gains (losses) on divestitures and impairment charges, net											15,933	7,015	(26,819)
Business Combination Segment Allocation [Line Items]
Business Combination, Recognized Identifiable Assets Acquired, Goodwill, and Liabilities Assumed, Net	$ 46,080								$ 46,080		46,080
Business Acquisition, Goodwill, Expected Tax Deductible Amount	26,400								26,400		26,400
Acquisition Spend										$ 82,200	62,800	76,200	72,900
Large acquisition debt acquired										$ 49,800
Preneed Contracts Receivables Fair Value, net	3,800								3,800		3,800
Preneed Contracts Receivables Fair Value	4,300								4,300		4,300
Uncollected preneed contract receivables	500								500		500
Revenue	820,814	$ 778,786	$ 796,092	$ 794,482	$ 812,733	$ 731,346	$ 773,242	$ 777,710	17,900		3,190,174	3,095,031	3,031,137
Net Income	193,236	$ 68,993	$ 103,281	$ 82,048	$ 247,395	$ 56,141	$ 68,562	$ 174,749	1,700		447,558	546,847	177,305
Payments for (Proceeds from) Delayed Tax Exempt Exchange											6,000	$ 26,200	3,700
Business Acquisition, Percentage of Voting Interests Acquired					22.00%							22.00%
Business Acquisition, Transaction Costs	2,300								2,300		2,300
Business Combination, Recognized Identifiable Assets Acquired and Liabilities Assumed, Current Assets	3,321								3,321		3,321
Business Acquisition Purchase Price Allocation Cemetery property	28,683								28,683		28,683
Business Combination, Recognized Identifiable Assets Acquired and Liabilities Assumed, Property, Plant, and Equipment	25,717								25,717		25,717
Business Acquisition Purchase Price Allocation Preneed Funeral And Cemetery Receivables And Trust Investments	102,534								102,534		102,534
Business Combination, Recognized Identifiable Assets Acquired and Liabilities Assumed, Finite-Lived Intangibles	42,799								42,799		42,799
Business Combination, Recognized Identifiable Assets Acquired and Liabilities Assumed, Indefinite-Lived Intangible Assets	18,000								18,000		18,000
Business Combination, Recognized Identifiable Assets Acquired and Liabilities Assumed, Other Noncurrent Assets	1,717								1,717		1,717
Business Combination Recognized Identifiable Assets Acquired And Liabilities Assumed Cemetery Perpetual Care Trusts	52,747								52,747		52,747
Business Combination, Recognized Identifiable Assets Acquired and Liabilities Assumed, Assets	321,598								321,598		321,598
Business Combination, Recognized Identifiable Assets Acquired and Liabilities Assumed, Current Liabilities	4,591								4,591		4,591
Business Acquisition Purchase Price Allocation Deferred Preneed Funeral And Cemetery Revenues And Deferred Receipts Held In Trusts	120,522								120,522		120,522
Business Combination, Recognized Identifiable Assets Acquired and Liabilities Assumed, Deferred Tax Liabilities Noncurrent	11,730								11,730		11,730
Business Combination Recognized Identifiable Assets Acquired And Liabilities Assumed Care Trust Corpus	52,747								52,747		52,747
Business Combination, Recognized Identifiable Assets Acquired and Liabilities Assumed, Liabilities	189,590								189,590		189,590
Business Combination, Recognized Identifiable Assets Acquired and Liabilities Assumed, Net	132,008								132,008		132,008
Purchase of noncontrolling interest											0	$ (4,580)	(1,961)
Asset Impairment Charges													31,200
Cemetery [Member]
Business Combination Segment Allocation [Line Items]
Business Combination, Recognized Identifiable Assets Acquired, Goodwill, and Liabilities Assumed, Net	26,600								26,600		26,600
Revenue											1,292,182	1,226,879	1,162,026
Funeral [Member]
Business Combination Segment Allocation [Line Items]
Business Combination, Recognized Identifiable Assets Acquired, Goodwill, and Liabilities Assumed, Net	$ 19,500								$ 19,500		19,500
Revenue											$ 1,897,992	$ 1,868,152	$ 1,869,111