Summary of Significant Accounting Policies, Textuals (Details) - USD ($) $ / shares in Units, shares in Thousands, $ in Thousands	3 Months Ended		12 Months Ended
	Dec. 31, 2018	Mar. 31, 2017	Dec. 31, 2019	Dec. 31, 2018	Dec. 31, 2017
Restricted Cash and Cash Equivalents	$ 8,734		$ 56,344	$ 8,734
Restricted Cash, Current	7,007		$ 54,293	7,007
Intangible Fair Value Inputs, Royalty Savings Rate, Low			0.020
Amortization of cemetery property			$ 70,330	68,640	$ 68,102
Depreciation			$ 151,000	$ 153,650	$ 153,141
Goodwill Reporting Unit Fair Value Inputs, Growth Rate, Low End of the Range			1.00%
Goodwill Reporting Unit Fair Value Inputs, Growth Rate, High End of the Range			3.70%
Goodwill Reporting Unit Fair Value Inputs, Discount Rate			6.75%
Intangible Fair Value Inputs, Royalty Savings Rate			0.050
Intangibles Fair Value Inputs, Discount Rate			6.95%
Retirement of treasury shares			0	0	0
General Agency Revenue		$ 121,000	$ 139,700	$ 134,100
Deferred incremental selling costs	282,283		293,125	282,283
Impact From Change in Depreciable Lives	$ 4,300		$ 12,100
New Accounting Pronouncement or Change in Accounting Principle, Effect of Change on Basic Earnings Per Share	$ 0.02		$ 0.07
Goodwill Reporting Unit Fair Value Inputs, Expense to Revenue Ratio, Low end range			72.20%
Goodwill Reporting Unit Fair Value Inputs, Expense to Revenue Ratio, High end range			80.00%
Goodwill Reporting Unit Fair Value Inputs, Growth Rate Other, Low end range			1.00%
GoodwillReportingUnitFairValueInputsGrowthRateOtherHighendrange			3.70%
Other Assets, Current	$ 33,607		$ 80,488	33,607
Other Liabilities	$ 10,222		9,596	10,222
Accounting Standards Update 2018-09 [Member]
Other Assets, Current			700
Accounts Payable and Accrued Liabilities			2,700
Other Assets			62,600
Other Liabilities			53,200
Accrued Liabilities			9,400
Funeral [Member]
Amortization of cemetery property			0	0	$ 0
Depreciation			$ 106,982	108,891	109,965
Goodwill Reporting Unit Fair Value Inputs, Terminal Growth Rate			1.00%
Intangibles Fair Value Inputs, Terminal Growth Rate			1.00%
Cemetery [Member]
Amortization of cemetery property			$ 70,330	68,640	68,102
Depreciation			$ 33,323	$ 33,183	$ 32,815
Goodwill Reporting Unit Fair Value Inputs, Terminal Growth Rate			2.40%
Intangibles Fair Value Inputs, Terminal Growth Rate			2.40%
Treasury Stock [Member]
Retirement of treasury shares			2,243	9,419	6,890
Minimum [Member]
Funeral home lease life			1 year
Transportation equipment lease life			1 year
Finite-Lived Intangible Assets, Useful Life			2 years
Minimum [Member] | Building and Building Improvements [Member]
Property, Plant and Equipment, Estimated Useful Lives			P10Y
Minimum [Member] | Equipment [Member]
Property, Plant and Equipment, Estimated Useful Lives			P3Y
Maximum [Member]
Funeral home lease life			40 years
Transportation equipment lease life			9 years
Finite-Lived Intangible Assets, Useful Life			89 years
Maximum [Member] | Building and Building Improvements [Member]
Property, Plant and Equipment, Estimated Useful Lives			P40Y
Maximum [Member] | Equipment [Member]
Property, Plant and Equipment, Estimated Useful Lives			P12Y
Maximum [Member] | Leasehold Improvements [Member]
Property, Plant and Equipment, Estimated Useful Lives			P12Y
Noncompete Agreements [Member] | Minimum [Member]
Finite-Lived Intangible Assets, Useful Life			2 years
Noncompete Agreements [Member] | Maximum [Member]
Finite-Lived Intangible Assets, Useful Life			20 years
Difference between Revenue Guidance in Effect before and after Topic 606 [Member]
Incremental Selling Costs			$ 174,700	$ 180,100