Preneed Activities Preneed Activities Deferred Preneed Revenues - USD ($) $ in Thousands	3 Months Ended
	Mar. 31, 2021	Mar. 31, 2020	Dec. 31, 2020	Dec. 31, 2019
Deferred Preneed Revenues [Roll Forward]
Deferred revenue and deferred receipts held in trust	$ 5,923,905	$ 4,644,206	$ 5,761,291	$ 5,306,479
Net preneed contract sales	313,483	238,471
Acquisitions (dispositions) of businesses, net	(441)	12,743
Net investment (losses) earnings	146,160	(665,127)
Change in amounts due for unfulfilled performance obligations	(10,387)	(2,555)
Recognized Revenue From Backlog	(156,461)	(121,611)
Recognized Revenue From Current Period	(133,633)	(107,821)
Change in cancellation allowance	113	1,095
Effect of foreign currency and other	$ 3,780	$ (17,468)