Carriage Services (CSV) 10-Q 29 Oct 14 2014 Q3 Quarterly report Financial data

Document_and_Entity_Informatio

Document and Entity Information	9 Months Ended
	Sep. 30, 2014	Oct. 24, 2014
Document and Entity Information [Abstract]	'	'
Entity Registrant Name	'CARRIAGE SERVICES INC	'
Entity Central Index Key	'0001016281	'
Current Fiscal Year End Date	'--12-31	'
Entity Filer Category	'Accelerated Filer	'
Document Type	'10-Q	'
Document Period End Date	30-Sep-14	'
Document Fiscal Year Focus	'2014	'
Document Fiscal Period Focus	'Q3	'
Amendment Flag	'false	'
Entity Common Stock, Shares Outstanding	'	18,501,227

CONSOLIDATED_BALANCE_SHEETS

CONSOLIDATED BALANCE SHEETS (USD $)	Sep. 30, 2014	Dec. 31, 2013
In Thousands, unless otherwise specified
Current assets:	'	'
Cash and cash equivalents	$2,966	$1,377
Accounts receivable, net of allowance for bad debts of $847 in 2013 and $1,015 in 2014	17,762	17,950
Assets held for sale	0	3,544
Inventories	5,460	5,300
Prepaid expenses	3,939	4,421
Other current assets	4,187	3,525
Total current assets	34,314	36,117
Preneed cemetery trust investments	73,072	68,341
Preneed funeral trust investments	98,525	97,144
Preneed receivables, net of allowance for bad debts of $1,825 in 2013 and $2,093 in 2014	26,053	24,521
Receivables from preneed trusts	12,252	11,166
Property, plant and equipment, net of accumulated depreciation of $88,627 in 2013 and $93,595 in 2014	183,782	160,690
Cemetery property	75,437	72,911
Goodwill	257,504	221,087
Deferred charges and other non-current assets	14,523	12,280
Cemetery perpetual care trust investments	50,234	42,342
Total assets	825,696	746,599
Current liabilities:	'	'
Current portion of long-term debt and capital lease obligations	9,883	13,424
Accounts payable	7,831	7,046
Other liabilities	2,163	9,939
Accrued liabilities	15,037	12,854
Liabilities associated with assets held for sale	0	4,357
Total current liabilities	34,914	47,620
Long-term debt, net of current portion	114,311	105,642
Revolving credit facility	42,300	36,900
Convertible junior subordinated debentures due in 2029 to an affiliate	0	89,770
Convertible subordinated notes due 2021	113,737	0
Obligations under capital leases, net of current portion	3,151	3,786
Deferred preneed cemetery revenue	57,340	55,479
Deferred preneed funeral revenue	30,833	30,588
Deferred tax liability	31,369	11,915
Other long-term liabilities	1,490	1,548
Deferred preneed cemetery receipts held in trust	73,072	68,341
Deferred preneed funeral receipts held in trust	98,525	97,144
Care trusts’ corpus	50,203	41,893
Total liabilities	651,245	590,626
Commitments and contingencies	'	'
Stockholders’ equity:	'	'
Common stock, $.01 par value; 80,000,000 shares authorized; 22,183,000 and 22,423,000 shares issued at December 31, 2013 and September 30, 2014, respectively	224	222
Additional paid-in capital	212,339	204,324
Accumulated deficit	-22,845	-33,306
Treasury stock, at cost; 3,922,000 shares at December 31, 2013 and September 30, 2014	-15,267	-15,267
Total stockholders’ equity	174,451	155,973
Total liabilities and stockholders’ equity	$825,696	$746,599

CONSOLIDATED_BALANCE_SHEETS_Pa

CONSOLIDATED BALANCE SHEETS (Parenthetical) (USD $)	Sep. 30, 2014	Dec. 31, 2013
In Thousands, except Share data, unless otherwise specified
Statement of Financial Position [Abstract]	'	'
Accounts receivable, allowance for bad debts	$1,015	$847
Preneed receivables, allowance for bad debts	2,093	1,825
Accumulated depreciation of property, plant and equipment	$93,595	$88,627
Common stock, par value	$0.01	$0.01
Common stock, shares authorized	80,000,000	80,000,000
Common stock, shares issued	22,423,000	22,183,000
Treasury stock, shares	3,922,000	3,922,000

CONSOLIDATED_STATEMENTS_OF_OPE

CONSOLIDATED STATEMENTS OF OPERATIONS (Unaudited) (USD $)	3 Months Ended		9 Months Ended
In Thousands, except Per Share data, unless otherwise specified	Sep. 30, 2014	Sep. 30, 2013	Sep. 30, 2014	Sep. 30, 2013
Segment Reporting Information [Line Items]	'	'	'	'
Total revenues	$54,549	$49,501	$166,705	$160,435
Field costs and expenses:	'	'	'	'
Depreciation and amortization	2,654	2,080	7,744	7,242
Regional and unallocated funeral and cemetery costs	2,900	2,720	6,972	7,792
Total field costs and expenses	39,472	35,401	115,624	110,550
Gross profit	15,077	14,100	51,081	49,885
Corporate costs and expenses:	'	'	'	'
General and administrative costs and expenses	6,562	6,868	22,744	20,226
Home office depreciation and amortization	341	851	1,037	1,570
Total corporate costs and expenses	6,903	7,719	23,781	21,796
Operating income	8,174	6,381	27,300	28,089
Interest expense	-2,177	-3,216	-7,707	-9,475
Amortization of Debt Discount (Premium)	-782	0	-1,647	0
Loss on early extinguishment of debt	0	0	-1,042	0
Loss on redemption of convertible junior subordinated debentures	0	0	-3,779	0
Other Income	0	0	1,130	0
Income from continuing operations before income taxes	5,215	3,165	14,255	18,614
Provision for income taxes	-2,390	-1,257	-5,915	-7,726
Income tax benefit related to uncertain tax positions	1,740	0	1,740	0
Net provision for income taxes	-650	-1,257	-4,175	-7,726
Net income from continuing operations	4,565	1,908	10,080	10,888
Income from discontinued operations, net of tax	431	3,986	381	4,408
Net income	4,996	5,894	10,461	15,296
Preferred stock dividend	0	0	0	-4
Net income available to common stockholders	4,996	5,894	10,461	15,292
Basic earnings per common share:	'	'	'	'
Continuing operations (in dollars per Share)	$0.25	$0.10	$0.55	$0.60
Discontinued operations (in dollars per Share)	$0.02	$0.22	$0.02	$0.24
Basic earnings per common share (in dollars per Share)	$0.27	$0.32	$0.57	$0.84
Diluted earnings per common share:	'	'	'	'
Continuing operations (in dollars per Share)	$0.24	$0.10	$0.54	$0.59
Discontinued operations (in dollars per Share)	$0.02	$0.22	$0.02	$0.19
Diluted earnings per common share (in dollars per Share)	$0.26	$0.32	$0.56	$0.78
Dividends declared per common share (in dollars per Share)	$0.03	$0.03	$0.08	$0.08
Weighted average number of common and common equivalent shares outstanding:	'	'	'	'
Basic (in Shares)	18,150	17,892	18,086	17,794
Diluted (in Shares)	18,276	18,057	18,223	22,361
Funeral [Member]	'	'	'	'
Segment Reporting Information [Line Items]	'	'	'	'
Total revenues	41,770	37,132	127,926	122,427
Field costs and expenses:	'	'	'	'
Total field costs and expenses	25,930	23,244	77,906	73,707
Corporate costs and expenses:	'	'	'	'
Income from continuing operations before income taxes	'	'	39,025	37,329
Cemetery [Member]	'	'	'	'
Segment Reporting Information [Line Items]	'	'	'	'
Total revenues	12,779	12,369	38,779	38,008
Field costs and expenses:	'	'	'	'
Total field costs and expenses	7,988	7,357	23,002	21,809
Corporate costs and expenses:	'	'	'	'
Income from continuing operations before income taxes	'	'	$10,959	$11,513

CONSOLIDATED_STATEMENTS_OF_CAS

CONSOLIDATED STATEMENTS OF CASH FLOWS (Unaudited) (USD $)	9 Months Ended
In Thousands, unless otherwise specified	Sep. 30, 2014	Sep. 30, 2013
Cash flows from operating activities:	'	'
Net income	$10,461	$15,296
Adjustments to reconcile net income to net cash provided by operating activities:	'	'
Gain on sale of businesses and purchase of other assets	-2,724	-6,546
Impairment of goodwill	1,180	100
Loss on early extinguishment of debt and other costs	1,042	0
Depreciation and amortization	8,801	8,910
Amortization of deferred financing costs	681	150
Accretion of discount on convertible subordinated notes	1,647	0
Provision for losses on accounts receivable	2,113	1,274
Stock-based compensation expense	3,702	2,952
Deferred income tax expense (benefit)	-140	9,389
Loss on redemption of convertible junior subordinated debentures	2,932	0
Other	0	81
Changes in operating assets and liabilities that provided (required) cash:	'	'
Accounts and preneed receivables	-1,700	-1,765
Inventories and other current assets	725	934
Deferred charges and other	-196	-19
Preneed funeral and cemetery trust investments	-3,228	3,566
Accounts payable	785	-1,543
Accrued and other liabilities	-1,362	-452
Deferred preneed funeral and cemetery revenue	335	2,490
Deferred preneed funeral and cemetery receipts held in trust	2,595	-3,601
Net cash provided by operating activities	27,649	31,216
Cash flows from investing activities:	'	'
Acquisitions and land for new construction	-56,850	-6,051
Net proceeds from the sale of businesses and other assets	1,927	8,321
Capital expenditures	-18,158	-7,425
Net cash used in investing activities	-73,081	-5,155
Cash flows from financing activities:	'	'
Net (payments) borrowings on the revolving credit facility	5,400	-18,700
Net (payments) borrowings on the term loan	5,656	-7,500
Proceeds from the issuance of convertible subordinated notes	143,750	0
Payment of debt issuance costs related to the convertible subordinated notes	-4,650	0
Payments on other long-term debt and obligations under capital leases	-662	-445
Redemption of convertible junior subordinated debentures	-89,748	0
Payments for performance-based stock awards	-16,150	0
Proceeds from the exercise of stock options and employee stock purchase plan contributions	1,035	685
Dividends on common stock	-1,379	-1,362
Dividend on redeemable preferred stock	0	-4
Payment of loan origination costs related to the credit facility	-825	-574
Excess tax benefit of equity compensation	4,594	1,023
Net cash provided by (used in) financing activities	47,021	-26,877
Net increase (decrease) in cash and cash equivalents	1,589	-816
Cash and cash equivalents at beginning of period	1,377	'
Cash and cash equivalents at end of period	$2,966	'

Basis_of_Presentation_and_Summ

Basis of Presentation and Summary of Significant Accounting Policies	9 Months Ended
	Sep. 30, 2014
Organization, Consolidation and Presentation of Financial Statements [Abstract]	'
BASIS OF PRESENTATION AND SUMMARY OF SIGNIFICANT ACCOUNTING POLICIES	'
	BASIS OF PRESENTATION AND SUMMARY OF SIGNIFICANT ACCOUNTING POLICIES
	The Company
	Carriage Services, Inc. (“Carriage”, the “Company”, “we”, “us” or “our”) is a leading provider of deathcare services and merchandise in the United States. As of September 30, 2014, we operated 164 funeral homes in 27 states and 32 cemeteries in 11 states.
	Our operations are reported in two business segments: Funeral Home Operations and Cemetery Operations. Funeral homes are principally service businesses that provide funeral services (traditional burial and cremation) and sell related merchandise, such as caskets and urns. Cemeteries are primarily sales businesses providing interment rights (grave sites and mausoleums) and related merchandise, such as markers and memorials.
	Principles of Consolidation
	The accompanying Consolidated Financial Statements include us and our subsidiaries. All significant intercompany balances and transactions have been eliminated.
	Interim Condensed Disclosures
	The information for the three and nine month periods ended September 30, 2013 and 2014 is unaudited, but in the opinion of management, reflects all adjustments which are normal, recurring and necessary for a fair presentation of our financial position and results of operations as of and for the interim periods presented. Certain information and footnote disclosures normally included in annual financial statements have been condensed or omitted. The accompanying Consolidated Financial Statements have been prepared consistent with the accounting policies described in our Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2013 and should be read in conjunction therewith. Certain reclassifications have been made to prior period amounts to conform to the current period financial statement presentation with no effect on previously reported results of operations, consolidated financial position or cash flows.
	Cash and Cash Equivalents
	We consider all highly liquid investments purchased with an original maturity of three months or less to be cash equivalents.
	Use of Estimates
	The preparation of our Consolidated Financial Statements requires us to make estimates and judgments that affect the reported amounts of assets, liabilities, revenues and expenses. On an ongoing basis, we evaluate our estimates and judgments, including those related to revenue recognition, realization of accounts receivable, goodwill, intangible assets, property and equipment and deferred tax assets and liabilities. We base our estimates on historical experience, third party data and assumptions that we believe to be reasonable under the circumstances. The results of these considerations form the basis for making judgments about the amount and timing of revenues and expenses, the carrying value of assets and the recorded amounts of liabilities. Actual results may differ from these estimates and such estimates may change if the underlying conditions or assumptions change. Historical performance should not be viewed as indicative of future performance, as there can be no assurance that our results of operations will be consistent from year to year.
	Funeral and Cemetery Operations
	We record the revenue from sales of funeral and cemetery merchandise and services when the merchandise is delivered or the service is performed. Sales of cemetery interment rights are recorded as revenue in accordance with the retail land sales provisions for accounting for sales of real estate. This method provides for the recognition of revenue in the period in which the customer’s cumulative payments exceed 10% of the contract price related to the interment right. Costs related to the sales of interment rights, which include real property and other costs related to cemetery development activities, are charged to operations using the specific identification method in the period in which the sale of the interment right is recognized as revenue. Revenues to be recognized from the delivery of merchandise and performance of services related to contracts that were acquired in acquisitions are typically lower than those originated by the Company. Sales taxes collected are recognized on a net basis in our Consolidated Financial Statements.
	Allowances for bad debts and customer cancellations are provided at the date that the sale is recognized as revenue and are based on our historical experience and the current economic environment. We also monitor changes in delinquency rates and provide additional bad debt and cancellation reserves when warranted. When preneed sales of funeral services and merchandise are funded through third-party insurance policies, we earn a commission on the sale of the policies. Insurance commissions are recognized as revenues at the point at which the commission is no longer subject to refund, which is typically one year after the policy is issued.
	Accounts receivable included approximately $8.4 million and $7.6 million of funeral receivables at December 31, 2013 and September 30, 2014, respectively, and $8.3 million and $9.9 million of cemetery receivables at December 31, 2013 and September 30, 2014, respectively. Accounts receivable also include minor amounts of other receivables. Non-current preneed receivables represent the payments expected to be received beyond one year from the balance sheet date. Non-current preneed receivables consisted of approximately $8.1 million and $7.6 million of funeral receivables at December 31, 2013 and September 30, 2014, respectively, and $16.5 million and $18.5 million of cemetery receivables at December 31, 2013 and September 30, 2014, respectively. Bad debt expense totaled approximately $0.5 million and $0.8 million for the three months ended September 30, 2013 and 2014, respectively, and $1.3 million and $2.1 million for the nine months ended September 30, 2013 and 2014, respectively.
	Property, Plant and Equipment
	Property, plant and equipment (including equipment under capital leases) are stated at cost. The costs of ordinary maintenance and repairs are charged to operations as incurred, while renewals and betterments are capitalized. Depreciation of property, plant and equipment (including equipment under capital leases) is computed based on the straight-line method.
	Property, plant and equipment was comprised of the following at December 31, 2013 and September 30, 2014:
		31-Dec-13			30-Sep-14
		(in thousands)
	Land	$	55,639		$	66,080
	Buildings and improvements	132,172			146,352
	Furniture, equipment and automobiles	61,506			64,945
	Property, plant and equipment, at cost	249,317			277,377
	Less: accumulated depreciation	(88,627		)	(93,595		)
	Property, plant and equipment, net	$	160,690		$	183,782
	Significant activity in property, plant and equipment during the nine months ended September 30, 2014 consisted of assets acquired from certain subsidiaries of Service Corporation International (“SCI”) and the acquisition of previously leased properties. We recorded a gain of approximately $1.1 million in the first quarter of 2014 on the purchase of one of these properties that we had originally acquired under a capital lease. We recorded depreciation expense of approximately $2.2 million and $2.3 million for the three months ended September 30, 2013 and 2014, respectively, and $6.6 million and $6.8 million for the nine months ended September 30, 2013 and 2014, respectively.
	Discontinued Operations
	We continually review locations to optimize the sustainable earning power and return on our invested capital. These reviews could entail selling certain non-strategic businesses. When we receive a letter of intent and financing commitment from a buyer and the sale is expected to occur within one year, the location is no longer reported within our continuing operations. The assets and liabilities associated with the location are reclassified as held-for-sale on our Consolidated Balance Sheets, and the operating results are presented on a comparative basis in discontinued operations on our Consolidated Statements of Operations. During the first quarter of 2014, we sold a cemetery in Florida which was reported as held-for-sale at December 31, 2013. During the third quarter of 2014, we sold two funeral homes, one in Ohio and one in Kentucky, which were reported as held-for-sale at June 30, 2014. As of September 30, 2014, we had no businesses classified as held-for-sale. See Note 4 to the Consolidated Financial Statements herein for more information.
	Business Combinations
	Tangible and intangible assets acquired and liabilities assumed are recorded at fair value and goodwill is recognized for any difference between the price of the acquisition and fair value. We customarily estimate related transaction costs known at closing. To the extent that information not available to us at the closing date of an acquisition subsequently becomes available during the allocation period, we may adjust goodwill, assets or liabilities associated with such acquisition. Acquisition related costs are recognized separately from acquisitions and are expensed as incurred. We did not acquire any businesses in the third quarter of 2014. During the second quarter of 2014, we acquired six businesses from certain subsidiaries of SCI. See Note 3 to the Consolidated Financial Statements herein for more information concerning this acquisition.
	Goodwill
	The excess of the purchase price over the fair value of identifiable net assets of businesses acquired is recorded as goodwill. Goodwill has primarily been recorded in connection with the acquisition of funeral businesses. Goodwill is tested for impairment by assessing the fair value of each of our reporting units. The funeral segment reporting units consist of our East, Central and West regions in the United States, and we perform our annual impairment test of goodwill using information as of August 31 of each year. In addition, we assess the impairment of goodwill whenever events or changes in circumstances indicate that the carrying value may be greater than fair value. Factors that could trigger an interim impairment review include, but are not limited to, significant adverse changes in the business climate which may be indicated by a decline in our market capitalization or decline in operating results.
	Our methodology for goodwill impairment testing is described in more detail in Notes 1 and 4 to the Consolidated Financial Statements in our Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2013 and further discussion of current period activity in Note 5 to the Consolidated Financial Statements herein.
	Intangible Assets
	Our intangible assets include tradenames primarily resulting from acquisitions. Our tradenames are included in Deferred charges and other non-current assets on our Consolidated Balance Sheets. Our tradenames are considered to have an indefinite life and are not subject to amortization. We test for impairment of intangible assets annually at year end.
	In addition to our annual review, we assess the impairment of intangible assets whenever events or changes in circumstances indicate that the carrying value may be greater than the fair value. Factors that could trigger an interim impairment review include, but are not limited to, significant under performance relative to historical results and significant negative industry or economic trends.
	Stock Plans and Stock-Based Compensation
	We have stock-based employee and director compensation plans under which we may grant restricted stock, stock options, performance awards and stock from our employee stock purchase plan, which are described in more detail in Note 17 to the Consolidated Financial Statements in our Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2013. We recognize compensation expense in an amount equal to the fair value of the share-based awards expected to vest over the requisite service period. Fair value is determined on the date of the grant. The fair value of options or awards containing options is determined using the Black-Scholes valuation model. The fair value of the performance awards is determined using a Monte-Carlo simulation pricing model. See Note 17 to the Consolidated Financial Statements herein for additional information on our stock-based compensation plans.
	Computation of Earnings Per Common Share
	Basic earnings per share is computed using the weighted average number of common shares outstanding during the period. Diluted earnings per share is computed using the weighted average number of common and dilutive common equivalent shares outstanding during the period. Dilutive common equivalent shares consist of stock options, convertible junior subordinated debentures and convertible subordinated notes.
	Share-based awards that contain nonforfeitable rights to dividends or dividend equivalents, whether paid or unpaid, are recognized as participating securities and included in the computation of both basic and diluted earnings per share. Our grants of restricted stock awards to our employees and directors are considered participating securities, and we have prepared our earnings per share calculations attributable to common stockholders to exclude outstanding unvested restricted stock awards, using the two-class method, in both the basic and diluted weighted average shares outstanding calculation.
	The fully diluted weighted average shares outstanding for the nine months ended September 30, 2013, and the corresponding calculation of fully diluted earnings per share, include approximately 4.4 million shares that would have been issued upon the conversion of our convertible junior subordinated debentures as a result of the application of the if-converted method prescribed by the Financial Accounting Standards Board (“FASB”) Accounting Standards Codification (“ASC”) 260-10-45. For the three months ended September 30, 2013, shares from the conversion of our convertible junior subordinated debentures and our convertible subordinated notes are excluded from the fully diluted earnings per share calculation because the inclusion of such converted shares would result in an antidilutive impact. The convertible junior subordinated notes were redeemed in March 2014 and there has been no impact on our 2014 calculation of fully diluted earnings per share.
	Preneed Funeral and Cemetery Trust Funds
	Our preneed and perpetual care trust funds are reported in accordance with the principles of consolidating Variable Interest Entities (“VIEs”). In the case of preneed trusts, the customers are the legal beneficiaries. In the case of perpetual care trusts, we do not have a right to access the corpus in the perpetual care trusts. For these reasons, we have recognized financial interests of third parties in the trust funds in our financial statements as Deferred preneed funeral and cemetery receipts held in trust and Care trusts’ corpus. The investments of such trust funds are classified as available-for-sale and are reported at fair market value; therefore, the unrealized gains and losses, as well as accumulated and undistributed income and realized gains and losses are recorded to Deferred preneed funeral and cemetery receipts held in trust and Care trusts’ corpus on our Consolidated Balance Sheets. Our future obligations to deliver merchandise and services are reported at estimated settlement amounts. Preneed funeral and cemetery trust investments are reduced by the trust investment earnings that we have been allowed to withdraw in certain states prior to maturity. These earnings, along with preneed contract collections not required to be placed in trust, are recorded in Deferred preneed funeral revenue and Deferred preneed cemetery revenue until the service is performed or the merchandise is delivered.
	In accordance with respective state laws, we are required to deposit a specified amount into perpetual and memorial care trust funds for each interment/entombment right and certain memorials sold. Income from the trust funds is distributed to us and used to provide care and maintenance of the cemeteries and mausoleums. Such trust fund income is recognized as revenue when realized by the trust and distributable to us. We are restricted from withdrawing any of the principal balances of these funds.
	An enterprise is required to perform an analysis to determine whether the enterprise’s variable interest(s) give it a controlling financial interest in a VIE. This analysis identifies the primary beneficiary of a VIE as the enterprise that has both the power to direct the activities of a VIE that most significantly impact the entity’s economic performance and the obligation to absorb losses of the entity that could potentially be significant to the VIE, or the right to receive benefits from the entity that could potentially be significant to the VIE. Our analysis continues to support our position as the primary beneficiary in the majority of our funeral and cemetery trust funds.
	Trust management fees are earned by us for investment management and advisory services that are provided by our wholly-owned registered investment advisor (“CSV RIA”). As of September 30, 2014, CSV RIA provided these services to two institutions, which have custody of 77% of our trust assets, for a fee based on the market value of trust assets. Under state trust laws, we are allowed to charge the trust a fee for advising on the investment of the trust assets and these fees are recognized as income in the period in which services are provided.
	Fair Value Measurements
	We define fair value as the price that would be received from the sale of an asset or paid to transfer a liability in an orderly transaction between market participants at the measurement date for items that are recognized or disclosed at fair value in the financial statements on a recurring basis (at least annually). We disclose the extent to which fair value is used to measure financial assets and liabilities, the inputs utilized in calculating valuation measurements, and the effect of the measurement of significant unobservable inputs on earnings, or changes in net assets, as of the measurement date. We currently do not have any assets that have fair values determined by Level 3 inputs and no liabilities measured at fair value. We have not elected to measure any additional financial instruments and certain other items at fair value that are not currently required to be measured at fair value.
	To determine the fair value of assets and liabilities in an environment where the volume and level of activity for the asset or liability have significantly decreased, the exit price is used as the fair value measurement. For the three and nine months ended September 30, 2014, we did not incur significant decreases in the volume or level of activity of any asset or liability. We consider an impairment of debt and equity securities other-than-temporary unless (a) the investor has the ability and intent to hold an investment and (b) evidence indicating the cost of the investment is recoverable before we are more likely than not required to sell the investment. If an impairment is indicated, then an adjustment is made to reduce the carrying amount to fair value with a corresponding reduction to deferred preneed receipts held in trust. We did not record any impairments in the three months ended September 30, 2014. During the second quarter of 2014, we recorded a $0.4 million impairment charge for other-than-temporary declines in fair value related to unrealized losses on certain investments. There were no impairments recorded in the three and nine months ended September 30, 2013.
	In the ordinary course of business, we are typically exposed to a variety of market risks. Currently, these are primarily related to changes in fair market values related to outstanding debts and changes in the values of securities associated with the preneed and perpetual care trusts. Management is actively involved in monitoring exposure to market risk and developing and utilizing risk management techniques when appropriate and when available for a reasonable price.
	Additional required disclosures are provided in Notes 6, 10 and 11 to the Consolidated Financial Statements herein.
	Income Taxes
	We and our subsidiaries file a consolidated U.S. Federal income tax return, separate income tax returns in 16 states in which we operate and combined or unitary income tax returns in 11 states in which we operate. We record deferred taxes for temporary differences between the tax basis and financial reporting basis of assets and liabilities. We record a valuation allowance to reflect the estimated amount of deferred tax assets for which realization is uncertain. Management reviews the valuation allowance at the end of each quarter and makes adjustments if it is determined that it is more likely than not that the tax benefits will be realized.
	We analyze tax benefits for uncertain tax positions and how they are to be recognized, measured and derecognized in financial statements; provide certain disclosures of uncertain tax matters; and specify how reserves for uncertain tax positions should be classified on our Consolidated Balance Sheets. We have reviewed our income tax positions and identified certain tax deductions, primarily related to business acquisitions that are not certain. Our policy with respect to potential penalties and interest is to record them as “Other” expense and “Interest” expense, respectively. The entire balance of unrecognized tax benefits, if recognized, would affect our effective tax rate.
	On August 1, 2014, we received notification that the Internal Revenue Service (“IRS”) completed its examination of our tax year ended December 31, 2011. As a result, we have re-measured our tax liability for unrecognized tax benefits reflecting a reduction to our liability by $7.3 million. This change resulted in a tax benefit recognized in the amount of $1.7 million which reduced our effective tax rate for the nine month period ended September 30, 2014. The remainder of the re-measurement resulted in an increase to Deferred tax liability in the amount of $5.6 million. Additionally, we recognized a credit to interest expense of $0.6 million related to the settled portion of the uncertain tax position.
	The following table summarizes our unrecognized tax benefit as of December 31, 2013 and September 30, 2014:
			31-Dec-13			30-Sep-14
			(in thousands)
	Unrecognized tax benefit		$	7,832		$	515
	Interest accrued on unrecognized tax benefits		506			—
We do not anticipate a material change of our unrecognized tax benefits during the next twelve months.
In September 2013, the U.S. Department of the Treasury and the IRS released final regulations relating to guidance on applying tax rules to amounts paid to acquire, produce or improve tangible personal property as well as rules for materials and supplies. We adopted the new guidance for our current tax year, which began on January 1, 2014. These regulations have not had a material impact on our financial statements.
Subsequent Events
Management evaluated events and transactions during the period subsequent to September 30, 2014 through the date the financial statements were issued for potential recognition or disclosure in the accompanying financial statements covered by this report.

Recently_Issued_Accounting_Sta

Recently Issued Accounting Standards	9 Months Ended
	Sep. 30, 2014
Accounting Changes and Error Corrections [Abstract]	'
RECENTLY ISSUED ACCOUNTING STANDARDS	'
	RECENTLY ISSUED ACCOUNTING STANDARDS
	Going Concern
	In August 2014, the FASB issued ASC Subtopic 205-40, Presentation of Financial Statements - Going Concern: Disclosure of Uncertainties about an Entity’s Ability to Continue as a Going Concern. ASC Subtopic 205-40 provides guidance as to management’s responsibility to evaluate whether there is substantial doubt about an entity’s ability to continue as a going concern and to provide related footnote disclosures by incorporating and expanding upon certain principles that are currently in U.S. auditing standards. The new guidance requires an entity to evaluate whether there are conditions or events, considered in the aggregate, that raise substantial doubt about the entity’s ability to continue as a going concern within one year after the date that the financial statements are issued (or available to be issued). The new guidance allows the entity to consider the mitigating effects of management’s plans that will alleviate the substantial doubt and requires certain disclosures when substantial doubt is alleviated as a result of consideration of management’s plans. If conditions or events raise substantial doubt that is not alleviated, an entity should disclose that there is substantial doubt about the entity’s ability to continue as a going concern within one year after the date that the financial statements are issued (or available to be issued), along with the principal conditions or events that raise substantial doubt, management’s evaluation of the significance of those conditions or events in relation to the entity’s ability to meet its obligations and management’s plans that are intended to mitigate those conditions. The guidance is effective for annual periods ending after December 15, 2016, and interim and annual periods thereafter. Early adoption is permitted. We plan to adopt the provisions of ASC Subtopic 205-40 for our fiscal year ending December 31, 2016 and the interim periods beginning in 2017.
	Revenue from Contracts with Customers
	In May 2014, the FASB created ASC Topic 606, Revenue from Contracts with Customers. ASC Topic 606 supersedes the revenue recognition requirements under ASC Topic 605, Revenue Recognition, and most industry-specific guidance throughout the Industry Topics of the ASC. The core principle of the guidance is that an entity should recognize revenue to depict the transfer of promised goods or services to customers in an amount that reflects the consideration to which an entity expects to be entitled in exchange for those goods or services. Under the new guidance, an entity is required to perform the following five steps: (1) identify the contract(s) with a customer; (2) identify the performance obligations in the contract; (3) determine the transaction price; (4) allocate the transaction price to the performance obligations in the contract; and (5) recognize revenue when (or as) the entity satisfies a performance obligation. The new guidance will significantly enhance comparability of revenue recognition practices across entities, industries, jurisdictions and capital markets. Additionally, the guidance requires improved disclosures as to the nature, amount, timing and uncertainty of revenue that is recognized. The new guidance is effective for the annual reporting period beginning after December 15, 2016, including interim periods within that reporting period. Early adoption is not permitted. We are currently evaluating the impact the adoption of this new accounting standard will have on our Consolidated Financial Statements.
	Discontinued Operations and Disclosure of Disposals of Components of an Entity
	In April 2014, the FASB modified the requirements for reporting a discontinued operation. The amended definition of “discontinued operations” includes only disposals or held-for-sale classifications for components or groups of components of an entity that represent a strategic shift that either has or will have a major effect on the entity’s operations or financial results. Examples of a strategic shift that has or will have a major effect on an entity’s operations and financial results include a disposal of a major geographical area, line of business, equity method of investment or other parts of an entity. The new definition of discontinued operations will significantly reduce the volume of transactions requiring discontinued operation presentation and disclosure. However, the new guidance also expands the disclosures required when an entity reports a discontinued operation or when it disposes of or classifies as held-for-sale an individually significant component that does not meet the definition of a discontinued operation. The new guidance is effective for all disposals or classifications as held-for-sale that occur in annual periods, and interim periods within those annual periods, beginning after December 15, 2014. An entity cannot apply the amended guidance to a component or to a business that is classified as held-for-sale before the effective date, even if the component or business is disposed of after the effective date. Early adoption is permitted, but only for disposals or classifications as held-for-sale that have not been reported in previously issued financial statements. We will adopt this new guidance effective January 1, 2015.

Acquisitions

Acquisitions	9 Months Ended
	Sep. 30, 2014
Business Combinations [Abstract]	'
ACQUISITIONS	'
	ACQUISITIONS
	Our growth strategy includes the execution of our Strategic Acquisition Model. We assess the strategic positioning of acquisition candidates based on the size of the business, competitive standing in the market (market share), market size, market demographics, client family revenue profile (customer preferences), barriers to entry, institutional strength of the brand, and long term volume and price trends. Acquisition candidates are prequalified using our Standards Operating Model and 4E Leadership Model to determine alignment with our operating strategy. The value of the acquisition candidates is based on local market competitive dynamic which allows for appropriate and differentiating enterprise valuations and flexibility to customize the transactions.
	We acquired land for $2.0 million for funeral home expansion projects during the third quarter of 2014. We completed the acquisition of six businesses from certain subsidiaries of SCI (collectively, the “SCI Acquisition”), for $54.9 million during the second quarter of 2014. We acquired land for approximately $6.0 million during the first quarter of 2013 for funeral home expansion projects. There were no acquisitions in the three and nine months ended September 30, 2013.

Assets_Held_for_Sale_and_Disco

Assets Held for Sale and Discontinued Operations	9 Months Ended
	Sep. 30, 2014
Assets Held For Sale and Discontinued Operations [Abstract]	'
ASSETS HELD FOR SALE AND DISCONTINUED OPERATIONS	'
	ASSETS HELD FOR SALE AND DISCONTINUED OPERATIONS
	We continually review locations to optimize the sustainable earning power and return on our invested capital. These reviews could entail selling certain non-strategic businesses.
	During the first quarter of 2014, we sold a cemetery in Florida which was reported as held-for-sale at December 31, 2013 for approximately $0.2 million in cash and recognized a gain of $0.9 million. During the third quarter of 2014, we sold a funeral home in Ohio and a funeral home in Kentucky for approximately $0.6 million and $1.1 million, respectively, which were reported as held-for-sale at June 30, 2014, and recognized a net gain of approximately $0.7 million. At September 30, 2014, we had no assets classified as held-for-sale.
	The operating results of the discontinued businesses for the three and nine months ended September 30, 2013 and 2014, as well as any impairments and net gain on the disposal, is presented within discontinued operations on our Consolidated Statements of Operations, along with the income tax effect, as follows (in thousands):
		For the Three Months Ended September 30,						For the Nine Months Ended
								September 30,
		2013			2014			2013			2014
	Revenues	$	751		$	188		$	3,664		$	815
	Operating income	$	66		$	48		$	700		$	236
	Impairment	—			—			(100		)	(1,180		)
	Net gain on disposal	6,399			685			6,546			1,594
	Income tax provision	(2,479		)	(302		)	(2,738		)	(269		)
	Income from discontinued operations	$	3,986		$	431		$	4,408		$	381

Goodwill

Goodwill	9 Months Ended
	Sep. 30, 2014
Goodwill and Intangible Assets Disclosure [Abstract]	'
GOODWILL	'
	GOODWILL
	Many of the former owners and staff of acquired funeral homes have provided high quality service to families for generations. The resulting loyalty often represents a substantial portion of the value of a business. The excess of the purchase price over the fair value of net identifiable assets acquired and liabilities assumed, as determined by management in business acquisition transactions accounted for as purchases, is recorded as goodwill.
	We performed our 2014 annual impairment test of goodwill using information as of August 31, 2014. Under current guidance, we are permitted to first assess qualitative factors to determine whether it is more-likely-than-not that the fair value of a reporting unit is less than its carrying amount as a basis for determining whether it is necessary to perform the two-step goodwill impairment test. For our 2013 annual impairment test, we performed the two-step impairment test. Our intent is to perform the two-step test at least once every three years unless certain indicators or events suggest otherwise. See Part II, Item 7, Overview of Critical Accounting Policies and Estimates and Item 8. Financial Statements and Supplementary Data, Note 2, to the Consolidated Financial Statements in our Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2013, for a discussion of the methodology used for the annual goodwill impairment test. For our 2014 annual impairment test, we performed a qualitative review and concluded that there was not an impairment to goodwill.
	The following table presents the changes in goodwill on our Consolidated Balance Sheets during the nine months ended September 30, 2014 (in thousands):
	Goodwill as of December 31, 2013	$	221,087
	Increase in goodwill related to acquisitions	33,826
	Changes in previous estimates	3,788
	Net impairment and write-off related to divestitures	(1,197		)
	Goodwill as of September 30, 2014	$	257,504
	The $33.8 million increase to goodwill related to acquisitions represents the goodwill recorded in connection with the SCI Acquisition completed in May 2014. The changes in previous estimates relate to a $0.1 million reduction in goodwill relating to adjustments in inventory for the November 2013 funeral home business acquisition and a $3.9 million increase in goodwill relating to a reclass from tradenames for the SCI Acquisition. In the second quarter of 2014, we recorded an impairment of $1.2 million related to a business held for sale as the carrying value exceeded fair value. As such, this amount is recorded within discontinued operations on our Consolidated Statements of Operations. Our purchase price allocations for these acquisitions are dependent upon certain valuations, which have not progressed to a stage where there is sufficient information to make a definitive measure and allocation of goodwill and other intangible assets. Material revisions to the ongoing current estimates may be necessary when the valuation process is completed, which is expected to occur within a year after the respective acquisition closing dates.

Preneed_Trust_Investments

Preneed Trust Investments	9 Months Ended
	Sep. 30, 2014
Preneed Trust Investments [Abstract]	'
PRENEED TRUST INVESTMENTS	'
	PRENEED TRUST INVESTMENT
	Preneed Cemetery Trust Investments
	Preneed cemetery trust investments represent trust fund assets that we are generally permitted to withdraw when the merchandise or services are provided. The components of Preneed cemetery trust investments on our Consolidated Balance Sheets at December 31, 2013 and September 30, 2014 were as follows (in thousands):
		December 31, 2013				September 30, 2014
	Preneed cemetery trust investments, at fair value	$	70,386			$	75,271
	Less: allowance for contract cancellation	(2,045		)		(2,199		)
	Preneed cemetery trust investments, net	$	68,341			$	73,072
	Upon cancellation of a preneed cemetery contract, a customer is generally entitled to receive a refund of the corpus, and in some cases, some or all of the earnings held in trust. In certain jurisdictions, we may be obligated to fund any shortfall if the amounts deposited by the customer exceed the funds in trust, including some or all investment income. As a result, when realized or unrealized losses of a trust result in the trust being under-funded, we assess whether we are responsible for replenishing the corpus of the trust, in which case a loss provision is recorded. At September 30, 2014, our preneed cemetery trust investments were not under-funded.
	Earnings from our preneed cemetery trust investments are recognized in revenue when a service is performed or merchandise is delivered. Trust management fees charged by our wholly-owned registered investment advisor are included in revenue in the period in which they are earned.
	Where quoted prices are available in an active market, investments held by the trusts are classified as Level 1 investments pursuant to the three-level valuation hierarchy. Our Level 1 investments include cash and common stock. Where quoted market prices are not available for the specific security, fair values are estimated by using quoted prices of similar securities in active markets or other inputs other than quoted prices that can corroborate observable market data. These investments are fixed income securities including municipal bonds, foreign debt, corporate debt, preferred stocks and mortgage backed securities, all of which are classified within Level 2 of the valuation hierarchy. We review and update our fair value hierarchy classifications quarterly. There were no transfers between Levels 1 and 2 in the three and nine months ended September 30, 2014. There are no Level 3 investments in the preneed cemetery trust investment portfolio. See Note 11 for further information of the fair value measurement and the three-level valuation hierarchy.
	The cost and fair market values associated with preneed cemetery trust investments at September 30, 2014 are detailed below (in thousands):
		Fair Value Hierarchy Level		Cost				Unrealized				Unrealized				Fair Market
								Gains				Losses				Value
	Cash and money market accounts	1		$	2,428			$	—			$	—			$	2,428
	Fixed income securities:
	Municipal bonds	2		344				12				—				356
	Foreign debt	2		4,945				91				(102		)		4,934
	Corporate debt	2		30,384				433				(1,984		)		28,833
	Preferred stock	2		18,432				647				(203		)		18,876
	Mortgage backed securities	2		1				—				—				1
	Common stock	1		16,756				3,019				(948		)		18,827
	Trust securities			$	73,290			$	4,202			$	(3,237	)		$	74,255
	Accrued investment income			$	1,016											$	1,016
	Preneed cemetery trust investments															$	75,271
	Fair market value as a percentage of cost															101.3		%
	The estimated maturities of the fixed income securities included above are as follows (in thousands):
	Due in one year or less	$	—
	Due in one to five years	6,299
	Due in five to ten years	7,670
	Thereafter	39,031
	Total	$	53,000
	The cost and fair market values associated with preneed cemetery trust investments at December 31, 2013 are detailed below (in thousands):
		Fair Value Hierarchy Level		Cost				Unrealized				Unrealized				Fair Market
								Gains				Losses				Value
	Cash and money market accounts	1		$	1,541			$	—			$	—			$	1,541
	Fixed income securities:
	Foreign debt	2		3,460				146				(3		)		3,603
	Corporate debt	2		32,958				386				(1,150		)		32,194
	Preferred stock	2		17,754				178				(273		)		17,659
	Mortgage backed securities	2		1				—				—				1
	Common stock	1		12,431				2,362				(267		)		14,526
	Trust securities			$	68,145			$	3,072			$	(1,693	)		$	69,524
	Accrued investment income			$	862											$	862
	Preneed cemetery trust investments															$	70,386
	Fair market value as a percentage of cost															102		%
	We determine whether or not the assets in the preneed cemetery trust investments have an other-than-temporary impairment on a security-by-security basis. This assessment is made based upon a number of criteria including the length of time a security has been in a loss position, changes in market conditions and concerns related to the specific issuer. If a loss is considered to be other-than-temporary, the cost basis of the security is adjusted downward to its fair market value. Any reduction in the cost basis of the investment due to an other-than-temporary impairment is likewise recorded as a reduction in Deferred preneed cemetery receipts held in trust on our Consolidated Balance Sheets. We did not record any impairments in the three months ended September 30, 2014. In the second quarter of 2014, we recorded a $0.2 million impairment charge for other-than temporary declines in fair value related to unrealized losses on certain investments. There will be no impact on earnings until such time that the loss is realized in the trusts, allocated to the preneed contracts and the services are performed or the merchandise is delivered causing the contract to be withdrawn from the trust in accordance with state regulations.
	At September 30, 2014, we had certain investments within our preneed cemetery trust investments that had tax lots in loss positions for more than one year. Based on our analyses of these securities, the companies’ businesses and current market conditions, we determined that these investment losses were temporary in nature.
	Our cemetery merchandise and service trust investment unrealized losses, their associated fair market values, and the duration of unrealized losses as of September 30, 2014 and December 31, 2013, are shown in the following tables (in thousands):
		30-Sep-14
		In Loss Position Less than 12 months								In Loss Position Greater than 12 months								Total
		Fair Market Value				Unrealized Losses				Fair Market Value				Unrealized Losses				Fair Market Value		Unrealized Losses
	Fixed income securities:
	Foreign debt	$	4,039			$	(102	)		$	—			$	—			$	4,039	$	(102	)
	Corporate debt	19,306				(846		)		2,224				(1,137		)		21,530		(1,983		)
	Preferred stock	6,456				(191		)		3,238				(12		)		9,694		(203		)
	Common stock	9,520				(911		)		81				(38		)		9,601		(949		)
	Total temporary impaired securities	$	39,321			$	(2,050	)		$	5,543			$	(1,187	)		$	44,864	$	(3,237	)
		31-Dec-13
		In Loss Position Less than 12 months								In Loss Position Greater than 12 months								Total
		Fair Market Value				Unrealized Losses				Fair Market Value				Unrealized Losses				Fair Market Value		Unrealized Losses
	Fixed income securities:
	Foreign debt	$	802			$	(3	)		$	—			$	—			$	802	$	(3	)
	Corporate debt	11,561				(553		)		769				(597		)		12,330		(1,150		)
Preferred stock	9,601				(273		)		—				—				9,601		(273		)
Common stock	1,077				(171		)		705				(96		)		1,782		(267		)
Total temporary impaired securities	$	23,041			$	(1,000	)		$	1,474			$	(693	)		$	24,515	$	(1,693	)
Preneed cemetery trust investment security transactions recorded in Interest expense on our Consolidated Statements of Operations for the three and nine months ended September 30, 2013 and 2014 were as follows (in thousands):
	For the Three Months Ended September 30,								For the Nine Months Ended
									September 30,
	2013				2014				2013				2014
Investment income	$	671			$	504			$	2,436			$	1,936
Realized gains	835				1,970				2,420				3,670
Realized losses	(94		)		(124		)		(668		)		(952		)
Expenses and taxes	(436		)		(387		)		(2,501		)		(1,329		)
Increase in deferred preneed cemetery receipts held in trust	(976		)		(1,963		)		(1,687		)		(3,325		)
	$	—			$	—			$	—			$	—
Purchases and sales of investments in the preneed cemetery trusts were as follows (in thousands):
	For the Three Months Ended September 30,								For the Nine Months Ended
									September 30,
	2013				2014				2013				2014
Purchases	$	(18,569	)		$	(17,814	)		$	(34,273	)		$	(39,472	)
Sales	$	16,409			$	18,061			$	35,229			$	40,981
Preneed Funeral Trust Investments
Preneed funeral trust investments represent trust fund assets that we are permitted to withdraw as services and merchandise are provided to customers. Preneed funeral contracts are secured by funds paid by the customer to us. Preneed funeral trust investments are reduced by the trust earnings we have been allowed to withdraw prior to our performance and amounts received from customers that are not required to be deposited into trust, pursuant to various state laws. The components of Preneed funeral trust investments on our Consolidated Balance Sheets at December 31, 2013 and September 30, 2014 were as follows (in thousands):
	December 31, 2013				September 30, 2014
Preneed funeral trust investments, at market value	$	100,005			$	101,480
Less: allowance for contract cancellation	(2,861		)		(2,955		)
Preneed funeral trust investments, net	$	97,144			$	98,525
Upon cancellation of a preneed funeral contract, a customer is generally entitled to receive a refund of the corpus and some or all of the earnings held in trust. In certain jurisdictions, we may be obligated to fund any shortfall if the amounts deposited by the customer exceed the funds in trust, including some or all investment income. As a result, when realized or unrealized losses of a trust result in the trust being under-funded, we assess whether we are responsible for replenishing the corpus of the trust, in which case a loss provision is recorded. At September 30, 2014, our preneed funeral trust investments were not under-funded.
Earnings from our preneed funeral trust investments are recognized in revenue when a service is performed or merchandise is delivered. Trust management fees charged by our wholly-owned registered investment advisor are included in revenue in the period in which they are earned.
Where quoted prices are available in an active market, investments held by the trusts are classified as Level 1 investments pursuant to the three-level valuation hierarchy. Our Level 1 investments include cash, U. S. treasury debt, common stock and equity mutual funds. Where quoted market prices are not available for the specific security, then fair values are estimated by using quoted prices of similar securities in active markets or other inputs other than quoted prices that can corroborate observable market data. These investments are fixed income securities including U.S. agency obligations, foreign debt, corporate debt, preferred stocks, mortgage backed securities and fixed income mutual funds and other investments, all of which are classified within Level 2 of the valuation hierarchy. We review and update our fair value hierarchy classifications quarterly. There were no transfers between Levels 1 and 2 for the three months ended September 30, 2014. During the first quarter of 2014, we reclassified $0.4 million of U.S. Agency obligations from Level 1 investments to Level 2 investments due to reduced trading activity of these securities which caused the fair market price to be determined by other inputs other than quoted prices. There are no Level 3 investments in the preneed funeral trust investment portfolio. See Note 11 for further information of the fair value measurement and the three-level valuation hierarchy.
The cost and fair market values associated with preneed funeral trust investments at September 30, 2014 are detailed below (in thousands):
	Fair Value Hierarchy Level		Cost				Unrealized				Unrealized				Fair Market
							Gains				Losses				Value
Cash and money market accounts	1		$	14,018			$	—			$	—			$	14,018
Fixed income securities:
U.S. treasury debt	1		2,602				34				(34		)		2,602
U.S. agency obligations	2		31				—				(1		)		30
Foreign debt	2		3,961				73				(82		)		3,952
Corporate debt	2		25,294				527				(1,595		)		24,226
Preferred stock	2		15,777				588				(163		)		16,202
Mortgage backed securities	2		323				9				(3		)		329
Common stock	1		13,611				2,475				(782		)		15,304
Mutual funds:
Equity	1		13,991				1,237				(118		)		15,110
Fixed income	2		5,280				105				(85		)		5,300
Other investments	2		3,614				—				(31		)		3,583
Trust securities			$	98,502			$	5,048			$	(2,894	)		$	100,656
Accrued investment income			$	824											$	824
Preneed funeral trust investments															$	101,480
Fair market value as a percentage of cost															102.2		%
The estimated maturities of the fixed income securities included above are as follows (in thousands):
Due in one year or less	$	855
Due in one to five years	6,162
Due in five to ten years	7,013
Thereafter	33,311
Total	$	47,341
The cost and fair market values associated with preneed funeral trust investments at December 31, 2013 are detailed below (in thousands):
	Fair Value Hierarchy Level		Cost				Unrealized				Unrealized				Fair Market
							Gains				Losses				Value
Cash and money market accounts	1		$	14,631			$	—			$	—			$	14,631
Fixed income securities:
U.S. treasury debt	1		2,212				47				(54		)		2,205
U.S. agency obligations	1		401				8				(7		)		402
Foreign debt	2		2,726				115				(2		)		2,839
Corporate debt	2		27,993				375				(957		)		27,411
Preferred stock	2		15,949				292				(282		)		15,959
Mortgage backed securities	2		1				—				—				1
Common stock	1		10,681				2,092				(237		)		12,536
Mutual funds:
Equity	1		11,632				2,708				(22		)		14,318
Fixed income	2		5,455				88				(179		)		5,364
Other investments	2		3,686				—				(26		)		3,660
Trust securities			$	95,367			$	5,725			$	(1,766	)		$	99,326
Accrued investment income			$	679											$	679
Preneed funeral trust investments															$	100,005
Fair market value as a percentage of cost															104.2		%
We determine whether or not the assets in the preneed funeral trust investments have other-than-temporary impairments on a security-by-security basis. This assessment is made based upon a number of criteria including the length of time a security has been in a loss position, changes in market conditions and concerns related to the specific issuer. If a loss is considered to be other-than-temporary, the cost basis of the security is adjusted downward to its fair market value. Any reduction in the cost basis of the investment due to an other-than-temporary impairment is likewise recorded as a reduction to Deferred preneed funeral receipts held in trust on our Consolidated Balance Sheets. We did not record any impairments in the three months ended September 30, 2014. During the second quarter of 2014, we recorded a $0.1 million impairment charge for other-than temporary declines in fair value related to unrealized losses on certain investments. There will be no impact on earnings until such time that the loss is realized in the trusts, allocated to preneed contracts and the services are performed or the merchandise is delivered causing the contract to be withdrawn from the trust in accordance with state regulations.
At September 30, 2014, we had certain investments within our preneed funeral trust investments that had tax lots in loss positions for more than one year. Based on our analyses of these securities, the companies’ businesses and current market conditions, we determined that these investment losses were temporary in nature.
Our preneed funeral trust investment unrealized losses, their associated fair market values, and the duration of unrealized losses as of September 30, 2014 and December 31, 2013 are shown in the following tables (in thousands):
	30-Sep-14
	In Loss Position Less than 12 months								In Loss Position Greater than 12 months								Total
	Fair Market Value				Unrealized Losses				Fair Market Value				Unrealized Losses				Fair Market Value		Unrealized Losses
Fixed income securities:
U.S. debt	$	1,320			$	(6	)		$	822			$	(29	)		$	2,142	$	(35	)
U.S. agency obligations	30				—				—				—				30		—
Foreign debt	3,234				(82		)		—				—				3,234		(82		)
Corporate debt	15,519				(680		)		1,787				(914		)		17,306		(1,594		)
Preferred stock	5,195				(154		)		2,606				(10		)		7,801		(164		)
Mortgage backed securities	—				—				63				(3		)		63		(3		)
Mutual funds:
Equity	7,848				(751		)		67				(31		)		7,915		(782		)
Equity and other	9,315				(116		)		1,917				(2		)		11,232		(118		)
Fixed income	462				(9		)		4,838				(76		)		5,300		(85		)
Other investments	—				—				44				(31		)		44		(31		)
Total temporary impaired securities	$	42,923			$	(1,798	)		$	12,144			$	(1,096	)		$	55,067	$	(2,894	)
	31-Dec-13
	In Loss Position Less than 12 months								In Loss Position Greater than 12 months								Total
	Fair Market Value				Unrealized Losses				Fair Market Value				Unrealized Losses				Fair Market Value		Unrealized Losses
Fixed income securities:
U.S. debt	$	—			$	—			$	816			$	(54	)		$	816	$	(54	)
U.S. agency obligations	—				—				211				(7		)		211		(7		)
Foreign debt	632				(2		)		—				—				632		(2		)
Corporate debt	9,620				(460		)		640				(497		)		10,260		(957		)
Preferred stock	9,918				(282		)		—				—				9,918		(282		)
Mutual funds:
Equity	954				(152		)		626				(85		)		1,580		(237		)
Equity and other	314				(13		)		195				(9		)		509		(22		)
Fixed income	865				(43		)		1,420				(136		)		2,285		(179		)
Other investments	—				—				44				(26		)		44		(26		)
Total temporary impaired securities	$	22,303			$	(952	)		$	3,952			$	(814	)		$	26,255	$	(1,766	)
Preneed funeral trust investment security transactions recorded in Interest expense on the Consolidated Statements of Operations for the three and nine months ended September 30, 2013 and 2014 were as follows (in thousands):
	For the Three Months Ended September 30,								For the Nine Months Ended
									September 30,
	2013				2014				2013				2014
Investment income	$	709			$	576			$	2,232			$	2,067
Realized gains	942				1,605				7,156				5,036
Realized losses	(111		)		(105		)		(5,664		)		(841		)
Expenses and taxes	(269		)		(260		)		(1,324		)		(1,158		)
Increase in deferred preneed funeral receipts held in trust	(1,271		)		(1,816		)		(2,400		)		(5,104		)
	$	—			$	—			$	—			$	—
Purchases and sales of investments in the preneed funeral trusts were as follows (in thousands):
	For the Three Months Ended September 30,								For the Nine Months Ended
									September 30,
	2013				2014				2013				2014
Purchases	$	(17,266	)		$	(14,630	)		$	(28,355	)		$	(44,147	)
Sales	$	15,697			$	14,691			$	29,924			$	44,840

Preneed_Cemetery_Receivables

Preneed Cemetery Receivables	9 Months Ended
	Sep. 30, 2014
Preneed Cemetery Receivables [Abstract]	'
PRENEED CEMETERY RECEIVABLES	'
	PRENEED CEMETERY RECEIVABLES
	Preneed sales of cemetery interment rights and related products and services are usually financed through interest-bearing installment sales contracts, generally with terms of up to five years with such interest income reflected as Preneed cemetery finance charges. In substantially all cases, we receive an initial down payment at the time the contract is signed. At September 30, 2014, the balances of preneed receivables for cemetery interment rights and for merchandise and services were $23.5 million and $9.3 million, respectively, of which $10.2 million is presented in Accounts receivable and $22.6 million is presented in Preneed receivables. The unearned finance charges associated with these receivables were $3.8 million and $4.4 million at December 31, 2013 and September 30, 2014, respectively.
	We determine an allowance for customer cancellations and refunds on contracts in which revenue has been recognized on sales of cemetery interment rights. We have a collections policy where past due notifications are sent to the customer beginning at 15 days past due and periodically thereafter until the contract is cancelled or payment is received. We reserve 100% of the receivables on contracts in which the revenue has been recognized and payments are 90 days past due or more, which was approximately 5.9% of the total receivables on recognized sales at September 30, 2014. An allowance is recorded at the date that the contract is executed and periodically adjusted thereafter based upon actual collection experience at the business level. For the nine months ended September 30, 2014, the change in the allowance for contract cancellations was as follows (in thousands):
		September 30, 2014
	Beginning balance	$	1,347
	Write-offs and cancellations	(959		)
	Provision	1,414
	Ending balance	$	1,802
	The aging of financing receivables as of September 30, 2014 was as follows (in thousands):
		31-60			61-90		91-120		>120		Total Past		Current		Total Financing
		Past Due			Past Due		Past Due		Past Due		Due				Receivables
	Recognized revenue	$	816		$	421	$	263	$	1,113	$	2,613	$	20,555	$	23,168
	Deferred revenue	347			183		158		556		1,244		8,368		9,612
	Total contracts	$	1,163		$	604	$	421	$	1,669	$	3,857	$	28,923	$	32,780
	The aging of financing receivables as of December 31, 2013 was as follows (in thousands):
		31-60			61-90		91-120		>120		Total Past		Current		Total Financing
		Past Due			Past Due		Past Due		Past Due		Due				Receivables
	Recognized revenue	$	895		$	372	$	266	$	683	$	2,216	$	18,628	$	20,844
	Deferred revenue	355			191		85		271		902		7,890		8,792
	Total contracts	$	1,250		$	563	$	351	$	954	$	3,118	$	26,518	$	29,636

Receivables_from_Preneed_Trust

Receivables from Preneed Trusts	9 Months Ended
	Sep. 30, 2014
Receivables From Preneed Trusts [Abstract]	'
RECEIVABLES FROM PRENEED TRUSTS	'
	RECEIVABLES FROM PRENEED TRUSTS
	The receivables from preneed trusts represent assets in trusts which are controlled and operated by third parties in which we do not have a controlling financial interest (less than 50%) in the trust assets. We account for these investments at cost. As of December 31, 2013 and September 30, 2014, receivables from preneed trusts were as follows (in thousands):
		December 31, 2013			September 30, 2014
	Preneed trust funds, at cost	$	11,511		$	12,631
	Less: allowance for contract cancellation	(345		)	(379		)
	Receivables from preneed trusts, net	$	11,166		$	12,252
	The following summary reflects the composition of the assets held in trust and controlled by third parties to satisfy our future obligations under preneed arrangements related to the preceding contracts at September 30, 2014 and December 31, 2013. The cost basis includes reinvested interest and dividends that have been earned on the trust assets. Fair value includes the unrealized gains and losses on trust assets.
		Historical			Fair Value
		Cost Basis
		(in thousands)
	As of September 30, 2014
	Cash and cash equivalents	$	2,834		$	2,834
	Fixed income investments	7,344			7,364
	Mutual funds and common stocks	2,429			2,508
	Annuities	24			24
	Total	$	12,631		$	12,730
		Historical			Fair Value
		Cost Basis
		(in thousands)
	As of December 31, 2013
	Cash and cash equivalents	$	2,657		$	2,657
	Fixed income investments	6,344			6,355
	Mutual funds and common stocks	2,484			2,561
	Annuities	26			26
	Total	$	11,511		$	11,599

Contracts_Secured_by_Insurance

Contracts Secured by Insurance	9 Months Ended
	Sep. 30, 2014
Contracts Secured by Insurance [Abstract]	'
CONTRACTS SECURED BY INSURANCE	'
	CONTRACTS SECURED BY INSURANCE
	Certain preneed funeral contracts are secured by life insurance contracts. Generally, the proceeds of the life insurance policies have been assigned to us and will be paid upon the death of the insured. The proceeds will be used to satisfy the beneficiary’s obligations under the preneed contract for services and merchandise. Preneed funeral contracts secured by insurance totaled $289.9 million and $313.2 million at December 31, 2013 and September 30, 2014, respectively, and are not included on our Consolidated Balance Sheets.

Cemetery_Perpetual_Care_Trust_

Cemetery Perpetual Care Trust Investments	9 Months Ended
	Sep. 30, 2014
Cemetery Perpetual Care Trust Investments [Abstract]	'
CEMETERY PERPETUAL CARE TRUST INVESTMENTS	'
	CEMETERY PERPETUAL CARE TRUST INVESTMENTS
	Care trusts’ corpus on our Consolidated Balance Sheets represent the corpus of those trusts plus undistributed income. The components of Care trusts’ corpus as of December 31, 2013 and September 30, 2014 were as follows (in thousands):
		December 31, 2013				September 30, 2014
	Trust assets, at fair value	$	42,342			$	50,234
	Obligations due from trust	(449		)		(31		)
	Care trusts’ corpus	$	41,893			$	50,203
	We are required by various state laws to pay a portion of the proceeds from the sale of cemetery property interment rights into perpetual care trust funds. The income earned from these perpetual care trusts offsets maintenance expenses for cemetery property and memorials. This trust fund income is recognized, as earned, in Cemetery revenues. Trust management fees charged by our wholly-owned registered investment advisor are included in revenue in the period in which they are earned.
	Where quoted prices are available in an active market, investments held by the trusts are classified as Level 1 investments pursuant to the three-level valuation hierarchy. Our Level 1 investments include cash and common stock. Where quoted market prices are not available for the specific security, then fair values are estimated by using quoted prices of similar securities in active markets or other inputs other than quoted prices that can corroborate observable market data. These investments are foreign debt, corporate debt and preferred stocks, all of which are classified within Level 2 of the valuation hierarchy. We review and update our fair value hierarchy classifications quarterly. There were no transfers between Levels 1 and 2 in the three and nine months ended September 30, 2014. There are no Level 3 investments in the cemetery perpetual care trust investment portfolio. See Note 11 for further information of the fair value measurement and the three-level valuation hierarchy.
	The following table reflects the cost and fair market values associated with the trust investments held in perpetual care trust funds at September 30, 2014 (in thousands):
		Fair Value Hierarchy Level		Cost				Unrealized				Unrealized				Fair Market
								Gains				Losses				Value
	Cash and money market accounts	1		$	999			$	—			$	—			$	999
	Fixed income securities:
	Municipal bonds	2		231				8				—				239
	Foreign debt	2		3,323				62				(69		)		3,316
	Corporate debt	2		20,547				300				(1,338		)		19,509
	Preferred stock	2		12,474				440				(137		)		12,777
	Mortgage backed securities	2		1				—				—				1
	Common stock	1		11,310				2,042				(644		)		12,708
	Trust securities			$	48,885			$	2,852			$	(2,188	)		$	49,549
	Accrued investment income			$	685											$	685
	Cemetery perpetual care trust investments															$	50,234
	Fair market value as a percentage of cost															101.4		%
	The estimated maturities of the fixed income securities included above are as follows (in thousands):
	Due in one year or less	$	—
	Due in one to five years	4,261
	Due in five to ten years	5,185
	Thereafter	26,396
		$	35,842
	The following table reflects the cost and fair market values associated with the trust investments held in perpetual care trust funds at December 31, 2013 (in thousands):
		Fair Value Hierarchy Level		Cost				Unrealized				Unrealized				Fair Market
								Gains				Losses				Value
	Cash and money market accounts	1		$	973			$	—			$	—			$	973
	Fixed income securities:
	Foreign debt	2		2,062				87				(2		)		2,147
	Corporate debt	2		19,773				236				(691		)		19,318
	Preferred stock	2		10,668				110				(165		)		10,613
	Common stock	1		7,539				1,417				(178		)		8,778
	Trust securities			$	41,015			$	1,850			$	(1,036	)		$	41,829
	Accrued investment income			$	513											$	513
	Cemetery perpetual care investments															$	42,342
	Fair market value as a percentage of cost															102		%
	We determine whether or not the assets in the cemetery perpetual care trusts have an other-than-temporary impairment on a security-by-security basis. This assessment is made based upon a number of criteria including the length of time a security has been in a loss position, changes in market conditions and concerns related to the specific issuer. If a loss is considered to be other-than-temporary, the cost basis of the security is adjusted downward to its fair market value. Any reduction in the cost basis due to an other-than-temporary impairment is also recorded as a reduction to Care trusts’ corpus. We did not record any impairments in the three months ended September 30, 2014. In the second quarter of 2014, we recorded a $0.1 million impairment charge for other-than temporary declines in fair value related to unrealized losses on certain investments. We did not record any impairments in the three and nine months ended September 30, 2013. At September 30, 2014, we had certain investments within our perpetual care trust investments that had tax lots in loss positions for more than one year. Based on our analyses of these securities, the companies’ businesses and current market conditions, we determined that these investment losses were temporary in nature.
	Our perpetual care trust investment unrealized losses, their associated fair market values, and the duration of unrealized losses for the periods ended September 30, 2014 and December 31, 2013 are shown in the following tables (in thousands):
		30-Sep-14
		In Loss Position Less than 12 months								In Loss Position Greater than 12 months								Total
		Fair Market Value				Unrealized Losses				Fair Market Value				Unrealized Losses				Fair Market Value		Unrealized Losses
	Fixed income securities:
	Foreign debt	$	2,714			$	(69	)		$	—			$	—			$	2,714	$	(69	)
	Corporate debt	13,025				(571		)		1,500				(767		)		14,525		(1,338		)
	Preferred stock	4,349				(129		)		2,181				(8		)		6,530		(137		)
	Common stock	6,460				(618		)		55				(26		)		6,515		(644		)
	Total temporary impaired securities	$	26,548			$	(1,387	)		$	3,736			$	(801	)		$	30,284	$	(2,188	)
		31-Dec-13
		In Loss Position Less than 12 months								In Loss Position Greater than 12 months								Total
		Fair Market Value				Unrealized Losses				Fair Market Value				Unrealized Losses				Fair Market Value		Unrealized Losses
	Fixed income securities:
	Foreign debt	$	478			$	(2	)		$	—			$	—			$	478	$	(2	)
	Corporate debt	6,948				(332		)		462				(359		)		7,410		(691		)
	Preferred stock	5,811				(165		)		—				—				5,811		(165		)
	Common stock	716				(114		)		470				(64		)		1,186		(178		)
	Total temporary impaired securities	$	13,953			$	(613	)		$	932			$	(423	)		$	14,885	$	(1,036	)
	Perpetual care trust investment security transactions recorded in Interest expense on our Consolidated Statements of Operations for the three and nine months ended September 30, 2013 and 2014 were as follows (in thousands):
	For the Three Months Ended September 30,								For the Nine Months Ended
									September 30,
	2013				2014				2013				2014
Realized gains	$	634			$	1,061			$	1,721			$	2,375
Realized losses	(72		)		(67		)		(470		)		(759		)
Increase in care trusts’ corpus	(562		)		(994		)		(1,251		)		(1,616		)
Total	$	—			$	—			$	—			$	—
Perpetual care trust investment security transactions recorded in Cemetery revenues for the three and nine months ended September 30, 2013 and 2014 were as follows (in thousands):
	For the Three Months Ended September 30,								For the Nine Months Ended
									September 30,
	2013				2014				2013				2014
Investment income	$	1,382			$	1,168			$	3,852			$	3,748
Realized (loss) gains, net	(2		)		495				681				645
Total	$	1,380			$	1,663			$	4,533			$	4,393
Purchases and sales of investments in the perpetual care trusts were as follows (in thousands):
	For the Three Months Ended September 30,								For the Nine Months Ended
									September 30,
	2013				2014				2013				2014
Purchases	$	(10,703	)		$	(12,000	)		$	(20,541	)		$	(26,136	)
Sales	$	9,400			$	12,141			$	21,195			$	27,163

Fair_Value_Measurements

Fair Value Measurements	9 Months Ended
	Sep. 30, 2014
Fair Value Disclosures [Abstract]	'
FAIR VALUE MEASUREMENTS	'
	FAIR VALUE MEASUREMENTS
	Fair value is defined as the price that would be received from the sale of an asset or paid to transfer a liability in an orderly transaction between market participants at the measurement date applicable for items that are recognized or disclosed at fair value in the financial statements on a recurring basis. We disclose the extent to which fair value is used to measure financial assets and liabilities, the inputs utilized in calculating valuation measurements, and the effect of the measurement of significant unobservable inputs on earnings, or changes in net assets, as of the measurement date.
	We evaluated our financial assets and liabilities for those financial assets and liabilities that met the criteria of the disclosure requirements and fair value framework. The carrying values of cash and cash equivalents, trade receivables and trade payables approximate the fair values of those instruments due to the short-term nature of the instruments. The fair values of receivables on preneed funeral and cemetery contracts are impracticable to estimate because of the lack of a trading market and the diverse number of individual contracts with varying terms. Our long-term debt and Credit Facility (as defined in Note 13)are classified within Level 2 of the Fair Value Measurement hierarchy. The fair values of our long-term debt and Credit Facility approximate the carrying values of these instruments based on the index yields of similar securities compared to U.S. Treasury yield curves. The fair value of the convertible subordinated notes due 2021, issued in March 2014, was approximately $151.0 million at September 30, 2014 based on the last traded or broker quoted price. We identified investments in fixed income securities, common stock and mutual funds presented within the preneed and perpetual care trust investment categories on our Consolidated Balance Sheets as having met such criteria. See Notes 6 and 10 to our Consolidated Financial Statements herein for the fair value hierarchy levels of our trust investments.
	The following three-level valuation hierarchy based upon the transparency of inputs is utilized in the measurement and
	valuation of financial assets or liabilities as of the measurement date:
	•	Level 1 – Fair value of securities based on unadjusted quoted prices for identical assets or liabilities in active markets. Our investments classified as Level 1 securities include cash, common stock, U.S. treasury debt and equity mutual funds.
	•	Level 2 – Fair value of securities estimated based on quoted prices for similar assets and liabilities in active markets, quoted prices for identical or similar assets or liabilities in markets that are not active, and inputs other than quoted market prices that are observable or that can be corroborated by observable market data by correlation. These inputs include interest rates, yield curves, credit risk, prepayment speeds, rating and tax-exempt status. Our investments classified as Level 2 securities include U.S agency obligations, municipal bonds, corporate debt, preferred stocks, foreign debt, mortgage backed securities, certain fixed income securities and fixed income mutual funds.
	•	Level 3 – Unobservable inputs based upon the reporting entity’s internally developed assumptions, which market participants would use in pricing the asset or liability. As of September 30, 2014, we did not have any assets that had fair values determined by Level 3 inputs and no liabilities measured at fair value.
	We account for our investments as available-for-sale and measure them at fair value under the standards of financial accounting and reporting for investments in equity instruments that have readily determinable fair values and for all investments in debt securities.

Deferred_Charges_and_Other_Non

Deferred Charges and Other Non-Current Assets	9 Months Ended
	Sep. 30, 2014
Deferred Costs, Capitalized, Prepaid, and Other Assets Disclosure [Abstract]	'
Other Assets Disclosure [Text Block]	'
	DEFERRED CHARGES AND OTHER NON-CURRENT ASSETS
	Deferred charges and other non-current assets at December 31, 2013 and September 30, 2014 were as follows (in thousands):
		December 31,		September 30,
		2013		2014
	Prepaid agreements not-to-compete, net of accumulated amortization of $4,807 and $5,035, respectively	$	1,299	$	1,174
	Deferred loan costs, net of accumulated amortization of $1,252 and $2,701, respectively	2,602		1,978
	Convertible junior subordinated debenture origination costs, net of accumulated amortization of $1,095	2,949		—
	Convertible subordinated notes issuance costs, net of accumulated amortization of $256	—		3,371
	Tradenames	5,430		7,660
	Other	—		340
	Deferred charges and other non-current assets	$	12,280	$	14,523
	Prepaid agreements not-to-compete are amortized over the term of the respective agreements, ranging generally from one to ten years. Amortization expense was $19,800 and $69,400 for the three months ended September 30, 2013 and 2014, respectively, and $59,000 and $279,000 for the nine months ended September 30, 2013 and 2014, respectively. Deferred loan costs are being amortized over the term of the related debt using the effective interest method. In connection with the redemption of our convertible junior subordinated debentures, we wrote-off the related unamortized origination costs of approximately $2.9 million in March 2014. See Note 15 to the Consolidated Financial Statements herein for further discussion related to the convertible junior subordinated debentures. Debt issuance costs related to our convertible subordinated notes issued in March 2014 are being amortized using the effective interest method over the seven year term of the notes. See Note 14 to the Consolidated Financial Statements herein for further discussion related to our convertible subordinated notes. Our tradenames have indefinite lives and therefore are not amortized. During the nine months ended September 30, 2014, we increased tradenames by approximately $2.3 million related to the SCI Acquisition.

LongTerm_Debt

Long-Term Debt	9 Months Ended
	Sep. 30, 2014
Debt Disclosure [Abstract]	'
LONG-TERM DEBT	'
	LONG-TERM DEBT
	Our senior long-term debt consisted of the following at December 31, 2013 and September 30, 2014 (in thousands):
		31-Dec-13			30-Sep-14
	Revolving credit facility, secured, floating rate	$	36,900		$	42,300
	Term loan, secured, floating rate	117,000			122,656
	Acquisition debt	1,866			1,336
	Less: current portion	(13,224		)	(9,681		)
	Total long-term debt	$	142,542		$	156,611
	As of September 30, 2014, we had a $325 million secured bank credit facility (the “Credit Facility”) with Bank of America, N.A. as Administrative Agent comprised of a $200 million revolving credit facility and a $125 million term loan. The Credit Facility also contains an accordion provision to borrow up to an additional $50 million in revolving loans, subject to certain conditions. The Credit Facility matures on March 31, 2019 and is collateralized by all personal property and funeral home real property in certain states. As of September 30, 2014, we had outstanding borrowings under the revolving credit facility of $42.3 million and $122.7 million was outstanding on the term loan. No letters of credit were issued and outstanding under the Credit Facility at September 30, 2014. Under the Credit Facility, outstanding borrowings bear interest at either a prime rate or a LIBOR rate, plus an applicable margin based upon the Company's leverage ratio. At September 30, 2014, the prime rate margin was equivalent to 1.50% and the LIBOR margin was 2.50%. The weighted average interest rate on the Credit Facility for the three and nine months ended September 30, 2014 was 2.9% and 2.8%, respectively.
	On February 27, 2014, we entered into a fourth amendment to the Credit Facility which (a) allows us to issue senior unsecured debt in an amount not to exceed $150 million when aggregated with any subordinated debt or convertible subordinated debt issued by us and (b) allows us to refinance our existing convertible junior subordinated debentures with the proceeds of certain of senior unsecured debt, subordinated debt or convertible subordinated debt.
	On April 14, 2014, we entered into a fifth amendment to our Credit Facility (the “Fifth Amendment”), which provided for an increase in our revolving credit facility from $125 million to $200 million and new funding under our term loan whereby $125 million became outstanding upon the effectiveness of the Fifth Amendment. The Fifth Amendment became effective upon the closing of the SCI Acquisition on May 15, 2014. Borrowings under the term loan facility are subject to installment payments of 7.5% of the principal amount in the first two years following the effective date, 10.0% for the third and fourth years following the effective date and 12.5% per year thereafter with the balance payable upon maturity on March 31, 2019. Installment payments are made quarterly beginning September 30, 2014. The Fifth Amendment also modified our financial covenants so that we must maintain a leverage ratio of 3.75 to 1.00 through March 30, 2015 and 3.50 to 1.00 thereafter. In connection with the Fifth Amendment, we recognized a loss of $1.0 million to write-off the related unamortized deferred loan costs.
	We have no material assets or operations independent of our subsidiaries. All assets and operations are held and conducted by subsidiaries, each of which have fully and unconditionally guaranteed our obligations under the Credit Facility. Additionally, we do not currently have any significant restrictions on our ability to receive dividends or loans from any subsidiary guarantor under the Credit Facility.
	We were in compliance with the covenants contained in the Credit Facility as of September 30, 2014. The Credit Facility calls for key ratios that we must comply with including a requirement to maintain a leverage ratio of no more than 3.75 to 1.00 through March 30, 2015 and no more than 3.50 to 1.00 thereafter, and a covenant to maintain a fixed charge coverage ratio of no less than 1.20 to 1.00. As of September 30, 2014, the leverage ratio was 2.83 to 1.00 and the fixed charge coverage ratio was 2.60 to 1.00.
	Acquisition debt consists of deferred purchase price and promissory notes payable to sellers. A majority of the notes bear interest ranging from 7.0% to 11.0%. A few notes bear interest at 0% and are discounted at imputed interest rates ranging from 9.5% to 11.0%. Original maturities range from five to twenty years.

Convertible_Subordinated_Notes

Convertible Subordinated Notes	9 Months Ended
	Sep. 30, 2014
Convertible Subordinated Notes [Abstract]	'
Convertible Subordinated Notes	'
	CONVERTIBLE SUBORDINATED NOTES
	On March 19, 2014, we issued $143.75 million aggregate principal amount of 2.75% Convertible Subordinated Notes due 2021 (the “Notes”). The Notes have not been registered under the Securities Act of 1933, as amended (the “Securities Act”), and were offered only to “qualified institutional buyers” in compliance with Rule 144A under the Securities Act. The Notes are governed by an indenture dated as of March 19, 2014 between Wilmington Trust, National Association, as Trustee, and us (the “Indenture”). The Notes bear interest at 2.75%. Interest on the Notes accrues from March 19, 2014 and is payable semi-annually in arrears on March 15 and September 15 of each year, beginning September 15, 2014.
	The Notes are general unsecured obligations and are subordinated in the right of payment to all of our existing and future senior indebtedness and equal in right of payment with our other existing and future subordinated indebtedness. The initial conversion rate of the Notes is 44.3169 shares of our common stock per $1,000 principal amount of the Notes, equivalent to an initial conversion price of approximately $22.56 per share of common stock. The conversion rate is subject to adjustment upon the occurrence of certain events as described in the Indenture.
	The Notes mature on March 15, 2021, unless earlier converted or purchased by us. The conversion option of the Notes is not an embedded derivative. Holders of the Notes may convert their Notes at their option at any time prior to December 15, 2020, if certain conditions are met. We may not redeem the Notes prior to maturity. However, in the event of a fundamental change (as defined in the Indenture), subject to certain conditions, a holder of the Notes will have the option to require us to purchase all or a portion of its Notes for cash. The fundamental change purchase price will equal 100% of the principal amount of the Notes to be purchased, plus any accrued and unpaid interest, if any, to, but excluding, the fundamental change purchase date.
	We have recorded the issuance of the Notes per the guidance provided under ASC 470, Topic 20, Debt with Conversion and Other Options, which requires that we separate the Notes into a liability component and an equity component. The carrying amount of the liability is calculated by measuring the fair value of a similar liability that does not have an associated equity component. The carrying amount of the liability component was determined based on a bond discount rate of 6.75% per year. The carrying amount of the equity component representing the embedded conversion option was determined by deducting the fair value of the liability component from the initial proceeds of the Notes and is recorded in Additional Paid in Capital (“APIC”) on our Consolidated Balance Sheets. The excess of the principal amount of the liability over its carrying amount is amortized to interest expense using the effective interest method. The expected life of the liability component will not be reassessed in subsequent periods unless the terms are modified.
	We received gross proceeds of $143.75 million and paid transactions costs of approximately $4.7 million. We used a portion of the proceeds to repay our outstanding balance on our revolving credit facility and to redeem our existing convertible junior subordinated debentures. Refer to Note 15 herein for further discussion of the redemption of the convertible junior subordinated debentures.
	Total transaction costs of $4.7 million were allocated to the liability and equity components in proportion to the allocation of the initial proceeds and accounted for as debt issuance costs and equity issuance costs, respectively. Debt issuance costs are included in Deferred charges and other non-current assets on our Consolidated Balance Sheets and are being amortized using the effective interest method over the seven year term of the Notes. Equity issuance costs are included in APIC on our Consolidated Balance Sheets and are not amortized. Additionally, the recognition of the Notes as two separate components results in a basis difference associated with the liability component which represents a temporary tax difference. As a result, we recognized a deferred tax liability of $12.7 million related to this temporary difference which was recorded as a reduction to APIC and an increase to our deferred tax liability. The deferred tax liability is being amortized over the seven year term of the Notes.
	The carrying values of the liability and equity components of the Notes at September 30, 2014 are reflected in our Consolidated Balance Sheets as follows (in thousands):
		30-Sep-14
	Long-term liabilities:
	Principal amount	$	143,750
	Unamortized discount of liability component	(30,013		)
	Carrying value of the liability component	$	113,737
	Equity component carrying value	$	17,973
	The fair value of the Notes, which are Level 2 measurements, was $151.0 million at September 30, 2014.
	Interest expense for the three and nine months ended September 30, 2014 included contractual coupon interest expense of $1.0 million and $2.1 million, respectively, and amortization of debt issuance costs of $0.1 million and $0.3 million, respectively. Accretion of the discount on the convertible subordinated notes was $0.8 million and $1.6 million for the three and nine months ended September 30, 2014, respectively.
	The unamortized discount is being amortized over the remaining term of seven years. The effective interest rate on the liability component for the three and nine months ended September 30, 2014 was 6.75% per year.

Convertible_Junior_Subordinate

Convertible Junior Subordinated Debentures Payable to Affiliate and Company Obligated Mandatorily Redeemable Convertible Preferred Securities of Carriage Services Capital Trust	9 Months Ended
	Sep. 30, 2014
Investments, Debt and Equity Securities [Abstract]	'
Convertible Junior Subordinated Debenture Payable to Affiliate and Company Obligated Mandatorily Redeemable Convertible Preferred Securities of Carriage Services Capital Trust [Text Block]	'
	CONVERTIBLE JUNIOR SUBORDINATED DEBENTURES PAYABLE TO AFFILIATE AND COMPANY OBLIGATED MANDATORILY REDEEMABLE CONVERTIBLE PREFERRED SECURITIES OF CARRIAGE SERVICES CAPITAL TRUST
	Carriage’s wholly-owned subsidiary, Carriage Services Capital Trust (the “Trust”), issued 1,875,000 units of 7% convertible preferred securities (TIDES) in June 1999, resulting in approximately $90.0 million in net proceeds, and the Company issued a 7% convertible junior subordinated debenture to the Trust in the amount of $93.75 million. The convertible preferred securities had a liquidation amount of $50 per unit and were convertible into Carriage’s common stock at the equivalent conversion price of $20.4375 per share of common stock. The convertible junior subordinated debentures and the TIDES were due to mature in 2029, and the TIDES were guaranteed on a subordinated basis by the Company. At December 31, 2013 the amount outstanding under the convertible junior subordinated debentures totaled $89.8 million.
	On March 17, 2014, we called for the redemption of all our outstanding convertible junior subordinated debentures and the corresponding TIDES at a price $50 per $50 principal amount of the convertible junior subordinated debentures being redeemed, plus accrued and unpaid interest to the redemption date. In the first quarter of 2014, we used a portion of the net proceeds from the issuance of the Notes to redeem the convertible junior subordinated debentures for approximately $61.9 million in principal amount of our existing convertible junior subordinated debentures and approximately $0.9 million associated with the call premium. On April 16, 2014, the remaining TIDES principal balance of $27.9 million was redeemed.

Commitments_and_Contingencies

Commitments and Contingencies	9 Months Ended
	Sep. 30, 2014
Commitments and Contingencies Disclosure [Abstract]	'
COMMITMENTS AND CONTINGENCIES	'
	COMMITMENTS AND CONTINGENCIES
	Litigation
	We are a party to various litigation matters and proceedings. For each of our outstanding legal matters, we evaluate the merits of the case, our exposure to the matter, possible legal or settlement strategies, and the likelihood of an unfavorable outcome. We intend to defend ourselves in the lawsuits described herein. If we determine that an unfavorable outcome is probable and can be reasonably estimated, we establish the necessary accruals. We hold certain insurance policies that may reduce cash outflows with respect to an adverse outcome of certain of these litigation matters.
	Leathermon, et al. v. Grandview Memorial Gardens, Inc., et al., United States District Court, Southern District of Indiana, Case No. 4:07-cv-137. On August 17, 2007, five plaintiffs filed a putative class action against the current and past owners of Grandview Cemetery in Madison, Indiana, including our subsidiaries that owned the cemetery from January 1997 until February 2001, on behalf of all individuals who purchased cemetery and burial goods and services at Grandview Cemetery. Plaintiffs are seeking monetary damages and claim that the cemetery owners performed burials negligently, breached Plaintiffs’ contracts and made misrepresentations regarding the cemetery. The Plaintiffs also allege that the claims occurred prior, during and after we owned the cemetery. On October 15, 2007, the case was removed from Jefferson County Circuit Court, Indiana to the Southern District of Indiana. On April 24, 2009, shortly before the Defendants had been scheduled to file their briefs in opposition to Plaintiffs’ motion for class certification, Plaintiffs moved to amend their complaint to add new class representatives and claims, while also seeking to abandon other claims. We, as well as several other Defendants, opposed Plaintiffs’ motion to amend their complaint and add parties. In April 2009, two Defendants moved to disqualify Plaintiffs’ counsel from further representing Plaintiffs in this action. On June 30, 2010, the court granted Defendants’ motion to disqualify Plaintiffs’ counsel. On May 6, 2010, Plaintiffs filed a petition for writ of mandamus with the Seventh Circuit Court of Appeals seeking relief from the trial court’s order of disqualification of counsel. On May 19, 2010, the Defendants responded to the petition of mandamus. On July 8, 2010, the Seventh Circuit denied Plaintiffs’ petition for writ of mandamus. Thus, pursuant to the trial court’s order, Plaintiffs were given 60 days from July 8, 2010 in which to retain new counsel to prosecute this action on their behalf. Plaintiffs retained new counsel and Plaintiffs’ counsel moved for leave to amend both the class representatives and the allegations stated within the complaint. Defendants filed oppositions to such amendments. The court issued an order permitting the Plaintiffs to proceed with amending the class representatives and a portion of their claims; however, certain of Plaintiffs’ claims have been dismissed. The parties reached a proposed class settlement and the court granted its preliminary approval of such settlement by order dated March 19, 2014. Notice of the class settlement was provided pursuant to the Preliminary Order Approving Class Action Settlement and no settlement class members opted out of the class nor objected to the terms of the settlement. The court issued its final approval of the settlement on June 23, 2014. The parties are administering the settlement in accordance with its terms.

Stockholders_Equity

Stockholders' Equity	9 Months Ended
	Sep. 30, 2014
Disclosure of Compensation Related Costs, Share-based Payments [Abstract]	'
STOCKHOLDERS' EQUITY	'
	STOCKHOLDERS’ EQUITY
	Stock Options
	As of September 30, 2014, there were 1,393,421 stock options outstanding and 1,061,022 stock options which remain unvested. On September 2, 2014, we granted 15,000 options to a new employee at an option price of $18.86. These options will vest in 25.00% increments each year over a four year period and have a six year term. The value of these stock options is approximately $0.1 million.
	The fair value of the option grant was estimated on the date of grant using the Black-Scholes option pricing model with the following weighted-average assumptions:
		2-Sep-14
	Dividend yield	0.53	%
	Expected volatility	33.44	%
	Risk-free interest rate	1.34	%
	Expected life (years)	4
	Black-Scholes value	$5.06
	We recorded pre-tax stock-based compensation expense for stock options totaling approximately $0.4 million for the three months ended September 30, 2013 and 2014, and $0.6 million and $1.2 million for the nine months ended September 30, 2013 and 2014, respectively. The significant increase in expense for the nine months ended September 30, 2014 was due to a large number of stock option grants in the first nine months of 2014 at a a significantly higher option price compared to prior year grants.
	Employee Stock Purchase Plan
	During the third quarter of 2014, employees purchased a total of 11,716 shares of common stock through the employee stock purchase plan (“ESPP”) at a weighted average price of $14.73 per share. We recorded pre-tax stock-based compensation expense for the ESPP totaling approximately $43,000 and $42,000 for the three months ended September 30, 2013 and 2014, respectively, and $230,000 and $231,000 for the nine months ended September 30, 2013 and 2014, respectively.
	The fair value of the right (option) to purchase shares under the ESPP is estimated on the date of grant (January 1 of each year) associated with the four quarterly purchase dates using the following assumptions:
			2014
	Dividend yield		0.6	%
	Expected volatility		33.37	%
	Risk-free interest rate		0.07%, 0.09%, 0.11%, 0.13%
	Expected life (years)		0.25, 0.50, 0.75, 1.00
	Expected volatilities are based on the historical volatility during the previous twelve months of the underlying common stock. The risk-free rate for the quarterly purchase periods is based on the U.S. Treasury yields in effect at the time of the purchase. The expected life of the ESPP grants represents the calendar quarters from the beginning of the year to the purchase date (end of each quarter).
	Restricted Stock Grants
	From time to time, we issue shares of restricted common stock to certain officers and key employees of the Company from our stock benefit plans. The restricted stock shares issued to officers and key employees vest in either 20%, 25% or 33.33% increments over five, four or three year terms, respectively. We did not issue any restricted common stock in the three months ended September 30, 2014.
	Related to the vesting of restricted stock awards awarded to our officers and key employees, we recorded $0.5 million of pre-tax compensation expense, which is included in general, administrative and other expenses for the three months ended September 30, 2013 and 2014 and $1.4 million and $1.3 million for the nine months ended September 30, 2013 and 2014, respectively.
	As of September 30, 2014, we had approximately $5.4 million of total unrecognized compensation costs related to unvested restricted stock awards, which are expected to be recognized over a weighted average period of approximately 2.5 years.
	Performance-Based Stock Awards
	During the third quarter of 2012, the Compensation Committee of our Board of Directors (our “Board”) granted performance-based awards (the “PBS Awards”) with both market and service vesting conditions to certain officers, employees and outside directors. No PBS Awards were granted during fiscal year 2013. To the extent vested, each PBS Award represented the right to receive a specified number of shares of our common stock, subject to the grantee’s payment, with respect to each share of common stock subject to such PBS Award, of an amount equal to the greater of (a) the then-current market price per share of our common stock on the date such PBS Award was granted plus $0.50 or (b) $9.00. Each PBS Award would have vested if on or before the fifth anniversary of the applicable grant date, the closing price of our common stock was greater than or equal to $21.50 on any three days, whether or not consecutive, within a period of 30 consecutive calendar days, subject to the applicable grantee’s continuous employment or service relationship with us through such date (the “Price Vesting Date”). However, if the Price Vesting Date occurred prior to the first anniversary of the grant date, then each PBS Award would not vest until the first anniversary of such grant date, subject to the applicable grantee's continued employment or service relationship with us through the first anniversary of the grant date.
	On January 3, 2014, we offered all grantees who held outstanding PBS Awards an opportunity to surrender their PBS Awards to us in exchange for cash payments equal to the product of (i) the difference between (x) $19.00 and (y) the applicable purchase price under their respective PBS Awards and (ii) the number of shares of our common stock subject to their PBS Awards (the “Cash Out Payments”). All outstanding PBS Awards were surrendered to us and canceled in exchange for Cash Out Payments of approximately $16.1 million.
	Director Compensation Policy
	Our Director Compensation Policy provides for the following: (a) the chairman of our Audit Committee receives an annual cash retainer of $17,500, the chairman of our Compensation and our Corporate Governance Committees receives an annual cash retainer of $15,000 and the Lead Director of our Board receives an annual cash retainer of $115,000, payable in quarterly installments; (b) each independent director of our Board receives an annual cash retainer of $40,000 paid on a quarterly basis and an annual equity retainer of $75,000 in shares of our common stock issued at our annual meeting of stockholders. Additionally, each independent director receives $2,000 for each regular or special meeting of the full Board, our Audit Committee and our Executive Committee attended in person or by phone. Members of the other committees and their chairmen receive $1,600 for each committee meeting held in person or by phone that such director attends. Under our Director Compensation Policy, the annual cash retainers for each committee chairman and the annual equity retainer are paid on the date of our annual meeting of stockholders, which was held on May 21, 2014. We issued 13,233 shares of common stock for the equity retainer to three independent directors.
	We recorded $81,000 and $46,000 of pre-tax compensation expense, which is included in general, administrative and other expenses, for the three months ended September 30, 2013 and 2014, respectively, and $690,000 and $695,000 for the nine months ended September 30, 2013 and 2014, respectively, related to the director fees, annual retainers and deferred compensation amortization.
	Cash Dividends
	During the three months ended September 30, 2014, our Board declared a quarterly dividend of $0.025 per share, totaling approximately $0.5 million, which was paid on September 2, 2014 to record holders of our common stock as of August 15, 2014. For the nine months ended September 30, 2014, we paid approximately $1.4 million in dividends. We have a dividend reinvestment program so that stockholders may elect to reinvest their dividends into additional shares of our common stock.
	Accumulated other comprehensive income
	Our components of Accumulated other comprehensive income are as follows:
		Accumulated Other Comprehensive Income
	Balance at December 31, 2013	$	—
	Increase in net unrealized gains associated with available-for-sale securities of the trusts	3,783
	Reclassification of net unrealized gain activity attributable to the Deferred preneed funeral and cemetery receipts held in trust and Care trusts’ corpus	(3,783		)
	Balance at September 30, 2014	$	—

Major_Segments_of_Business

Major Segments of Business	9 Months Ended
	Sep. 30, 2014
Segment Reporting [Abstract]	'
MAJOR SEGMENTS OF BUSINESS	'
	MAJOR SEGMENTS OF BUSINESS
	We conduct funeral and cemetery operations only in the United States. The following table presents revenue from continuing operations, pre-tax income (loss) from continuing operations and total assets by segment (in thousands):
		Funeral		Cemetery		Corporate			Consolidated
	Revenues from continuing operations:
	Nine months ended September 30, 2014	$	127,926	$	38,779	$	—		$	166,705
	Nine months ended September 30, 2013	$	122,427	$	38,008	$	—		$	160,435
	Income (loss) from continuing operations before income taxes:
	Nine months ended September 30, 2014	$	39,025	$	10,959	$	(35,729	)	$	14,255
	Nine months ended September 30, 2013	$	37,329	$	11,513	$	(30,228	)	$	18,614
	Total assets:
	30-Sep-14	$	564,768	$	242,595	$	18,333		$	825,696
	31-Dec-13	$	502,525	$	227,520	$	16,554		$	746,599

Supplemental_Disclosure_of_Sta

Supplemental Disclosure of Statement of Operations Information	9 Months Ended
	Sep. 30, 2014
Supplemental Income Statement Elements [Abstract]	'
SUPPLEMENTAL DISCLOSURE OF STATEMENT OF OPERATIONS INFORMATION	'
	SUPPLEMENTAL DISCLOSURE OF STATEMENT OF OPERATIONS INFORMATION
	The following information is supplemental disclosure for the Consolidated Statements of Operations (in thousands):
		For the Three Months Ended September 30,				For the Nine Months Ended
						September 30,
		2013		2014		2013		2014
	Revenues
	Goods
	Funeral	$	14,678	$	15,771	$	48,325	$	49,230
	Cemetery	7,544		7,582		23,136		23,754
	Total goods	$	22,222	$	23,353	$	71,461	$	72,984
	Services
	Funeral	$	20,360	$	23,717	$	67,083	$	71,562
	Cemetery	2,513		2,602		7,582		7,913
	Total services	$	22,873	$	26,319	$	74,665	$	79,475
	Financial revenue
	Preneed funeral commission income	$	446	$	509	$	1,435	$	1,636
	Preneed funeral trust earnings	1,648		1,773		5,584		5,498
	Cemetery trust earnings	1,940		2,212		6,220		6,072
	Cemetery finance charges	372		383		1,070		1,040
	Total financial revenue	$	4,406	$	4,877	$	14,309	$	14,246
	Total revenues	$	49,501	$	54,549	$	160,435	$	166,705
	Cost of revenues
	Goods
	Funeral	$	12,089	$	13,139	$	38,783	$	40,336
	Cemetery	5,651		6,082		16,804		17,669
	Total goods	$	17,740	$	19,221	$	55,587	$	58,005
	Services
	Funeral	$	10,881	$	12,511	$	33,913	$	36,743
	Cemetery	1,669		1,840		4,874		5,204
	Total services	$	12,550	$	14,351	$	38,787	$	41,947
	Financial expenses
	Preneed funeral commissions	$	263	$	260	$	972	$	788
	Trust administration fees	48		86		170		168
	Total financial expenses	$	311	$	346	$	1,142	$	956
	Total cost of revenues	$	30,601	$	33,918	$	95,516	$	100,908
	The costs of revenues, for purposes of this supplemental disclosure, include only field costs and expenses that are directly allocable between the goods, services and financial categories in the funeral and cemetery segments. Depreciation and amortization and regional and unallocated funeral and cemetery costs are not included in this disclosure.

Supplemental_Disclosure_of_Cas

Supplemental Disclosure of Cash Flow Information	9 Months Ended
	Sep. 30, 2014
Supplemental Cash Flow Information [Abstract]	'
SUPPLEMENTAL DISCLOSURE OF CASH FLOW INFORMATION	'
	SUPPLEMENTAL DISCLOSURE OF CASH FLOW INFORMATION
	The following information is supplemental disclosure for the Consolidated Statements of Cash Flows (in thousands):
		For the Nine Months Ended September 30,
		2013			2014
	Cash paid for interest	$	9,444		$	7,588
	Cash paid for income taxes	506			830
	Fair value of stock, stock options and performance awards issued to directors, officers and certain employees	3,822			8,219
	Restricted common stock withheld for payroll taxes	1,601			1,305
	Net deposits into preneed funeral trusts	(1,400		)	(1,336		)
	Net withdrawals (deposits) from / into preneed cemetery trusts	181			(1,099		)
	Net withdrawals from perpetual care trusts	5,209			293
	Net increase in preneed receivables	(1,530		)	(1,500		)
	Net deposits of receivables into preneed trusts	(424		)	(1,086		)
	Net change in preneed funeral receivables increasing deferred revenue	1,869			245
	Net change in preneed cemetery receivables increasing deferred revenue	621			90
	Net deposits into preneed funeral trust accounts increasing deferred preneed funeral receipts held in trust	1,400			1,336
	Net (withdrawals) deposits from / into cemetery trust accounts (decreasing) increasing deferred cemetery receipts held in trust	(181		)	1,099
	Net (withdrawals) deposits from / into perpetual care trust accounts (decreasing) increasing perpetual care trusts’ corpus	(4,820		)	160

Earnings_Per_Share

Earnings Per Share	9 Months Ended
	Sep. 30, 2014
Earnings Per Share [Abstract]	'
EARNINGS PER SHARE	'
	EARNINGS PER SHARE
	Share-based awards that contain non-forfeitable rights to dividends or dividend equivalents, whether paid or unpaid, are participating securities and included in the computation of both basic and diluted earnings per share. Our grants of restricted stock awards to our employees and directors are considered participating securities and we have prepared our earnings per share calculations to exclude outstanding unvested restricted stock awards, using the two-class method, in the basic and diluted weighted average shares outstanding calculation.
	The following table sets forth the computation of the basic and diluted earnings per share for the three and nine months ended September 30, 2013 and 2014:
		For the Three Months Ended September 30,						For the Nine Months Ended September 30,
		2013			2014			2013			2014
	Numerator for basic earnings per share:
	Numerator from continuing operations
	Income from continuing operations	$	1,908		$	4,565		$	10,888		$	10,080
	Less: Earnings allocated to unvested restricted stock	(35		)	(84		)	(236		)	(198		)
	Income attributable to continuing operations	$	1,873		$	4,481		$	10,652		$	9,882
	Numerator from discontinued operations
	Income from discontinued operations	$	3,986		$	431		$	4,408		$	381
	Less: Earnings allocated to unvested restricted stock	(74		)	(8		)	(96		)	(8		)
	Income attributable to discontinued operations	$	3,912		$	423		$	4,312		$	373
	Numerator for diluted earnings per share:
	Adjustment for diluted earnings per share:
	Interest on convertible junior subordinated debentures, net of tax	$	—		$	—		$	2,462		$	—
		$	—		$	—		$	2,462		$	—
	Income attributable to continuing operations	$	1,873		$	4,481		$	13,114		$	9,882
	Income attributable to discontinued operations	$	3,912		$	423		$	4,312		$	373
	Denominator
	Denominator for basic earnings per common share - weighted average shares outstanding	17,892			18,150			17,794			18,086
	Effect of dilutive securities:
	Stock options	165			126			175			137
	Convertible junior subordinated debentures	—			—			4,392			—
	Denominator for diluted earnings per common share - weighted average shares outstanding	18,057			18,276			22,361			18,223
	Basic earnings per common share:
	Continuing operations	$	0.1		$	0.25		$	0.6		$	0.55
	Discontinued operations	0.22			0.02			0.24			0.02
	Basic earnings per common share	$	0.32		$	0.27		$	0.84		$	0.57
	Diluted earnings per common share:
	Continuing operations	$	0.1		$	0.24		$	0.59		$	0.54
	Discontinued operations	0.22			0.02			0.19			0.02
	Diluted earnings per common share	$	0.32		$	0.26		$	0.78		$	0.56
	The fully diluted weighted average shares outstanding for the nine months ended September 30, 2013, and the corresponding calculation of fully diluted earnings per share include approximately 4.4 million shares that would be issued upon conversion of our convertible junior subordinated debentures as a result of the application of the if-converted method prescribed by FASB ASC 260-10-45. For the three months ended September 30, 2013, shares from the conversion of our convertible junior subordinated debentures and our convertible subordinated notes are excluded from the fully diluted earnings per share calculation because the inclusion of such converted shares would result in an antidilutive impact. The convertible junior subordinated notes were redeemed in March 2014 and there has been no impact on our 2014 calculation of fully diluted earnings per share.

Recovered_Sheet1

Basis Of Presentation And Summary Of Significant Accounting Policies (Policies)	9 Months Ended
	Sep. 30, 2014
Organization, Consolidation and Presentation of Financial Statements [Abstract]	'
Principles of Consolidation, Policy	'
	Principles of Consolidation
	The accompanying Consolidated Financial Statements include us and our subsidiaries. All significant intercompany balances and transactions have been eliminated.
Cash and Cash Equivalents, Policy	'
	Cash and Cash Equivalents
	We consider all highly liquid investments purchased with an original maturity of three months or less to be cash equivalents.
Use of Estimates, Policy	'
	Use of Estimates
	The preparation of our Consolidated Financial Statements requires us to make estimates and judgments that affect the reported amounts of assets, liabilities, revenues and expenses. On an ongoing basis, we evaluate our estimates and judgments, including those related to revenue recognition, realization of accounts receivable, goodwill, intangible assets, property and equipment and deferred tax assets and liabilities. We base our estimates on historical experience, third party data and assumptions that we believe to be reasonable under the circumstances. The results of these considerations form the basis for making judgments about the amount and timing of revenues and expenses, the carrying value of assets and the recorded amounts of liabilities. Actual results may differ from these estimates and such estimates may change if the underlying conditions or assumptions change. Historical performance should not be viewed as indicative of future performance, as there can be no assurance that our results of operations will be consistent from year to year.
Funeral and Cemetery Operations, Policy	'
	Funeral and Cemetery Operations
	We record the revenue from sales of funeral and cemetery merchandise and services when the merchandise is delivered or the service is performed. Sales of cemetery interment rights are recorded as revenue in accordance with the retail land sales provisions for accounting for sales of real estate. This method provides for the recognition of revenue in the period in which the customer’s cumulative payments exceed 10% of the contract price related to the interment right. Costs related to the sales of interment rights, which include real property and other costs related to cemetery development activities, are charged to operations using the specific identification method in the period in which the sale of the interment right is recognized as revenue. Revenues to be recognized from the delivery of merchandise and performance of services related to contracts that were acquired in acquisitions are typically lower than those originated by the Company. Sales taxes collected are recognized on a net basis in our Consolidated Financial Statements.
	Allowances for bad debts and customer cancellations are provided at the date that the sale is recognized as revenue and are based on our historical experience and the current economic environment. We also monitor changes in delinquency rates and provide additional bad debt and cancellation reserves when warranted. When preneed sales of funeral services and merchandise are funded through third-party insurance policies, we earn a commission on the sale of the policies. Insurance commissions are recognized as revenues at the point at which the commission is no longer subject to refund, which is typically one year after the policy is issued.
Discontinued Operations, Policy	'
	Discontinued Operations
	We continually review locations to optimize the sustainable earning power and return on our invested capital. These reviews could entail selling certain non-strategic businesses. When we receive a letter of intent and financing commitment from a buyer and the sale is expected to occur within one year, the location is no longer reported within our continuing operations. The assets and liabilities associated with the location are reclassified as held-for-sale on our Consolidated Balance Sheets, and the operating results are presented on a comparative basis in discontinued operations on our Consolidated Statements of Operations.
Property, Plant and Equipment, Policy	'
	Property, Plant and Equipment
	Property, plant and equipment (including equipment under capital leases) are stated at cost. The costs of ordinary maintenance and repairs are charged to operations as incurred, while renewals and betterments are capitalized. Depreciation of property, plant and equipment (including equipment under capital leases) is computed based on the straight-line method.
Business Combinations, Policy	'
	Business Combinations
	Tangible and intangible assets acquired and liabilities assumed are recorded at fair value and goodwill is recognized for any difference between the price of the acquisition and fair value. We customarily estimate related transaction costs known at closing. To the extent that information not available to us at the closing date of an acquisition subsequently becomes available during the allocation period, we may adjust goodwill, assets or liabilities associated with such acquisition. Acquisition related costs are recognized separately from acquisitions and are expensed as incurred. We did not acquire any businesses in the third quarter of 2014. During the second quarter of 2014, we acquired six businesses from certain subsidiaries of SCI. See Note 3 to the Consolidated Financial Statements herein for more information concerning this acquisition.
Goodwill and Intangible Assets, Policy [Policy Text Block]	'
	Goodwill
	The excess of the purchase price over the fair value of identifiable net assets of businesses acquired is recorded as goodwill. Goodwill has primarily been recorded in connection with the acquisition of funeral businesses. Goodwill is tested for impairment by assessing the fair value of each of our reporting units. The funeral segment reporting units consist of our East, Central and West regions in the United States, and we perform our annual impairment test of goodwill using information as of August 31 of each year. In addition, we assess the impairment of goodwill whenever events or changes in circumstances indicate that the carrying value may be greater than fair value. Factors that could trigger an interim impairment review include, but are not limited to, significant adverse changes in the business climate which may be indicated by a decline in our market capitalization or decline in operating results.
	Our methodology for goodwill impairment testing is described in more detail in Notes 1 and 4 to the Consolidated Financial Statements in our Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2013 and further discussion of current period activity in Note 5 to the Consolidated Financial Statements herein.
	Intangible Assets
	Our intangible assets include tradenames primarily resulting from acquisitions. Our tradenames are included in Deferred charges and other non-current assets on our Consolidated Balance Sheets. Our tradenames are considered to have an indefinite life and are not subject to amortization. We test for impairment of intangible assets annually at year end.
	In addition to our annual review, we assess the impairment of intangible assets whenever events or changes in circumstances indicate that the carrying value may be greater than the fair value. Factors that could trigger an interim impairment review include, but are not limited to, significant under performance relative to historical results and significant negative industry or economic trends.
Stock Plans and Stock-Based Compensation, Policy	'
	Stock Plans and Stock-Based Compensation
	We have stock-based employee and director compensation plans under which we may grant restricted stock, stock options, performance awards and stock from our employee stock purchase plan, which are described in more detail in Note 17 to the Consolidated Financial Statements in our Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2013. We recognize compensation expense in an amount equal to the fair value of the share-based awards expected to vest over the requisite service period. Fair value is determined on the date of the grant. The fair value of options or awards containing options is determined using the Black-Scholes valuation model. The fair value of the performance awards is determined using a Monte-Carlo simulation pricing model. See Note 17 to the Consolidated Financial Statements herein for additional information on our stock-based compensation plans.
Computation of Earnings Per Common Share, Policy	'
	Computation of Earnings Per Common Share
	Basic earnings per share is computed using the weighted average number of common shares outstanding during the period. Diluted earnings per share is computed using the weighted average number of common and dilutive common equivalent shares outstanding during the period. Dilutive common equivalent shares consist of stock options, convertible junior subordinated debentures and convertible subordinated notes.
	Share-based awards that contain nonforfeitable rights to dividends or dividend equivalents, whether paid or unpaid, are recognized as participating securities and included in the computation of both basic and diluted earnings per share. Our grants of restricted stock awards to our employees and directors are considered participating securities, and we have prepared our earnings per share calculations attributable to common stockholders to exclude outstanding unvested restricted stock awards, using the two-class method, in both the basic and diluted weighted average shares outstanding calculation.
Preneed Funeral and Cemetery Trust Funds, Policy	'
	Preneed Funeral and Cemetery Trust Funds
	Our preneed and perpetual care trust funds are reported in accordance with the principles of consolidating Variable Interest Entities (“VIEs”). In the case of preneed trusts, the customers are the legal beneficiaries. In the case of perpetual care trusts, we do not have a right to access the corpus in the perpetual care trusts. For these reasons, we have recognized financial interests of third parties in the trust funds in our financial statements as Deferred preneed funeral and cemetery receipts held in trust and Care trusts’ corpus. The investments of such trust funds are classified as available-for-sale and are reported at fair market value; therefore, the unrealized gains and losses, as well as accumulated and undistributed income and realized gains and losses are recorded to Deferred preneed funeral and cemetery receipts held in trust and Care trusts’ corpus on our Consolidated Balance Sheets. Our future obligations to deliver merchandise and services are reported at estimated settlement amounts. Preneed funeral and cemetery trust investments are reduced by the trust investment earnings that we have been allowed to withdraw in certain states prior to maturity. These earnings, along with preneed contract collections not required to be placed in trust, are recorded in Deferred preneed funeral revenue and Deferred preneed cemetery revenue until the service is performed or the merchandise is delivered.
	In accordance with respective state laws, we are required to deposit a specified amount into perpetual and memorial care trust funds for each interment/entombment right and certain memorials sold. Income from the trust funds is distributed to us and used to provide care and maintenance of the cemeteries and mausoleums. Such trust fund income is recognized as revenue when realized by the trust and distributable to us. We are restricted from withdrawing any of the principal balances of these funds.
	An enterprise is required to perform an analysis to determine whether the enterprise’s variable interest(s) give it a controlling financial interest in a VIE. This analysis identifies the primary beneficiary of a VIE as the enterprise that has both the power to direct the activities of a VIE that most significantly impact the entity’s economic performance and the obligation to absorb losses of the entity that could potentially be significant to the VIE, or the right to receive benefits from the entity that could potentially be significant to the VIE. Our analysis continues to support our position as the primary beneficiary in the majority of our funeral and cemetery trust funds.
	Trust management fees are earned by us for investment management and advisory services that are provided by our wholly-owned registered investment advisor (“CSV RIA”). As of September 30, 2014, CSV RIA provided these services to two institutions, which have custody of 77% of our trust assets, for a fee based on the market value of trust assets. Under state trust laws, we are allowed to charge the trust a fee for advising on the investment of the trust assets and these fees are recognized as income in the period in which services are provided.
Fair Value Measurements, Policy	'
	Fair Value Measurements
	We define fair value as the price that would be received from the sale of an asset or paid to transfer a liability in an orderly transaction between market participants at the measurement date for items that are recognized or disclosed at fair value in the financial statements on a recurring basis (at least annually). We disclose the extent to which fair value is used to measure financial assets and liabilities, the inputs utilized in calculating valuation measurements, and the effect of the measurement of significant unobservable inputs on earnings, or changes in net assets, as of the measurement date. We currently do not have any assets that have fair values determined by Level 3 inputs and no liabilities measured at fair value. We have not elected to measure any additional financial instruments and certain other items at fair value that are not currently required to be measured at fair value.
	To determine the fair value of assets and liabilities in an environment where the volume and level of activity for the asset or liability have significantly decreased, the exit price is used as the fair value measurement. For the three and nine months ended September 30, 2014, we did not incur significant decreases in the volume or level of activity of any asset or liability. We consider an impairment of debt and equity securities other-than-temporary unless (a) the investor has the ability and intent to hold an investment and (b) evidence indicating the cost of the investment is recoverable before we are more likely than not required to sell the investment. If an impairment is indicated, then an adjustment is made to reduce the carrying amount to fair value with a corresponding reduction to deferred preneed receipts held in trust. We did not record any impairments in the three months ended September 30, 2014. During the second quarter of 2014, we recorded a $0.4 million impairment charge for other-than-temporary declines in fair value related to unrealized losses on certain investments. There were no impairments recorded in the three and nine months ended September 30, 2013.
	In the ordinary course of business, we are typically exposed to a variety of market risks. Currently, these are primarily related to changes in fair market values related to outstanding debts and changes in the values of securities associated with the preneed and perpetual care trusts. Management is actively involved in monitoring exposure to market risk and developing and utilizing risk management techniques when appropriate and when available for a reasonable price.
Income Taxes, Policy	'
	Income Taxes
	We and our subsidiaries file a consolidated U.S. Federal income tax return, separate income tax returns in 16 states in which we operate and combined or unitary income tax returns in 11 states in which we operate. We record deferred taxes for temporary differences between the tax basis and financial reporting basis of assets and liabilities. We record a valuation allowance to reflect the estimated amount of deferred tax assets for which realization is uncertain. Management reviews the valuation allowance at the end of each quarter and makes adjustments if it is determined that it is more likely than not that the tax benefits will be realized.
	We analyze tax benefits for uncertain tax positions and how they are to be recognized, measured and derecognized in financial statements; provide certain disclosures of uncertain tax matters; and specify how reserves for uncertain tax positions should be classified on our Consolidated Balance Sheets. We have reviewed our income tax positions and identified certain tax deductions, primarily related to business acquisitions that are not certain. Our policy with respect to potential penalties and interest is to record them as “Other” expense and “Interest” expense, respectively. The entire balance of unrecognized tax benefits, if recognized, would affect our effective tax rate.

Basis_of_Presentation_and_Summ1

Basis of Presentation and Summary of Significant Accounting Policies (Tables)	9 Months Ended
	Sep. 30, 2014
Organization, Consolidation and Presentation of Financial Statements [Abstract]	'
Schedule of Property, Plant and Equipment	'
	Property, plant and equipment was comprised of the following at December 31, 2013 and September 30, 2014:
		31-Dec-13			30-Sep-14
		(in thousands)
	Land	$	55,639		$	66,080
	Buildings and improvements	132,172			146,352
	Furniture, equipment and automobiles	61,506			64,945
	Property, plant and equipment, at cost	249,317			277,377
	Less: accumulated depreciation	(88,627		)	(93,595		)
	Property, plant and equipment, net	$	160,690		$	183,782
Schedule of Unrecognized Tax Benefits	'
	The following table summarizes our unrecognized tax benefit as of December 31, 2013 and September 30, 2014:
			31-Dec-13			30-Sep-14
			(in thousands)
	Unrecognized tax benefit		$	7,832		$	515
	Interest accrued on unrecognized tax benefits		506			—

Assets_Held_for_Sale_and_Disco1

Assets Held for Sale and Discontinued Operations (Tables)	9 Months Ended
	Sep. 30, 2014
Assets Held For Sale and Discontinued Operations [Abstract]	'
Operating results and gain on discontinued operations	'
	The operating results of the discontinued businesses for the three and nine months ended September 30, 2013 and 2014, as well as any impairments and net gain on the disposal, is presented within discontinued operations on our Consolidated Statements of Operations, along with the income tax effect, as follows (in thousands):
		For the Three Months Ended September 30,						For the Nine Months Ended
								September 30,
		2013			2014			2013			2014
	Revenues	$	751		$	188		$	3,664		$	815
	Operating income	$	66		$	48		$	700		$	236
	Impairment	—			—			(100		)	(1,180		)
	Net gain on disposal	6,399			685			6,546			1,594
	Income tax provision	(2,479		)	(302		)	(2,738		)	(269		)
	Income from discontinued operations	$	3,986		$	431		$	4,408		$	381

Goodwill_Tables

Goodwill (Tables)	9 Months Ended
	Sep. 30, 2014
Goodwill and Intangible Assets Disclosure [Abstract]	'
Changes in Goodwill	'
	The following table presents the changes in goodwill on our Consolidated Balance Sheets during the nine months ended September 30, 2014 (in thousands):
	Goodwill as of December 31, 2013	$	221,087
	Increase in goodwill related to acquisitions	33,826
	Changes in previous estimates	3,788
	Net impairment and write-off related to divestitures	(1,197		)
	Goodwill as of September 30, 2014	$	257,504

Preneed_Trust_Investments_Tabl

Preneed Trust Investments (Tables)	9 Months Ended
	Sep. 30, 2014
Preneed Trust Investments [Abstract]	'
Components of preneed cemetery trust investments	'
	The components of Preneed cemetery trust investments on our Consolidated Balance Sheets at December 31, 2013 and September 30, 2014 were as follows (in thousands):
		December 31, 2013				September 30, 2014
	Preneed cemetery trust investments, at fair value	$	70,386			$	75,271
	Less: allowance for contract cancellation	(2,045		)		(2,199		)
	Preneed cemetery trust investments, net	$	68,341			$	73,072
Cost and fair market values associated with preneed cemetery trust investments	'
	The cost and fair market values associated with preneed cemetery trust investments at December 31, 2013 are detailed below (in thousands):
		Fair Value Hierarchy Level		Cost				Unrealized				Unrealized				Fair Market
								Gains				Losses				Value
	Cash and money market accounts	1		$	1,541			$	—			$	—			$	1,541
	Fixed income securities:
	Foreign debt	2		3,460				146				(3		)		3,603
	Corporate debt	2		32,958				386				(1,150		)		32,194
	Preferred stock	2		17,754				178				(273		)		17,659
	Mortgage backed securities	2		1				—				—				1
	Common stock	1		12,431				2,362				(267		)		14,526
	Trust securities			$	68,145			$	3,072			$	(1,693	)		$	69,524
	Accrued investment income			$	862											$	862
	Preneed cemetery trust investments															$	70,386
	Fair market value as a percentage of cost															102		%
	The cost and fair market values associated with preneed cemetery trust investments at September 30, 2014 are detailed below (in thousands):
		Fair Value Hierarchy Level		Cost				Unrealized				Unrealized				Fair Market
								Gains				Losses				Value
	Cash and money market accounts	1		$	2,428			$	—			$	—			$	2,428
	Fixed income securities:
	Municipal bonds	2		344				12				—				356
	Foreign debt	2		4,945				91				(102		)		4,934
	Corporate debt	2		30,384				433				(1,984		)		28,833
	Preferred stock	2		18,432				647				(203		)		18,876
	Mortgage backed securities	2		1				—				—				1
	Common stock	1		16,756				3,019				(948		)		18,827
	Trust securities			$	73,290			$	4,202			$	(3,237	)		$	74,255
	Accrued investment income			$	1,016											$	1,016
	Preneed cemetery trust investments															$	75,271
	Fair market value as a percentage of cost															101.3		%
Estimated maturities of fixed preneed cemetery trust income securities	'
	The estimated maturities of the fixed income securities included above are as follows (in thousands):
	Due in one year or less	$	—
	Due in one to five years	6,299
	Due in five to ten years	7,670
	Thereafter	39,031
	Total	$	53,000
Schedule of fair market value and unrealized loss on cemetery merchandise and service trust investments	'
	Our cemetery merchandise and service trust investment unrealized losses, their associated fair market values, and the duration of unrealized losses as of September 30, 2014 and December 31, 2013, are shown in the following tables (in thousands):
		30-Sep-14
		In Loss Position Less than 12 months								In Loss Position Greater than 12 months								Total
		Fair Market Value				Unrealized Losses				Fair Market Value				Unrealized Losses				Fair Market Value		Unrealized Losses
	Fixed income securities:
	Foreign debt	$	4,039			$	(102	)		$	—			$	—			$	4,039	$	(102	)
	Corporate debt	19,306				(846		)		2,224				(1,137		)		21,530		(1,983		)
	Preferred stock	6,456				(191		)		3,238				(12		)		9,694		(203		)
	Common stock	9,520				(911		)		81				(38		)		9,601		(949		)
	Total temporary impaired securities	$	39,321			$	(2,050	)		$	5,543			$	(1,187	)		$	44,864	$	(3,237	)
		31-Dec-13
		In Loss Position Less than 12 months								In Loss Position Greater than 12 months								Total
		Fair Market Value				Unrealized Losses				Fair Market Value				Unrealized Losses				Fair Market Value		Unrealized Losses
	Fixed income securities:
	Foreign debt	$	802			$	(3	)		$	—			$	—			$	802	$	(3	)
	Corporate debt	11,561				(553		)		769				(597		)		12,330		(1,150		)
	Preferred stock	9,601				(273		)		—				—				9,601		(273		)
	Common stock	1,077				(171		)		705				(96		)		1,782		(267		)
	Total temporary impaired securities	$	23,041			$	(1,000	)		$	1,474			$	(693	)		$	24,515	$	(1,693	)
Preneed cemetery trust investment security transactions	'
	Preneed cemetery trust investment security transactions recorded in Interest expense on our Consolidated Statements of Operations for the three and nine months ended September 30, 2013 and 2014 were as follows (in thousands):
		For the Three Months Ended September 30,								For the Nine Months Ended
										September 30,
		2013				2014				2013				2014
	Investment income	$	671			$	504			$	2,436			$	1,936
	Realized gains	835				1,970				2,420				3,670
	Realized losses	(94		)		(124		)		(668		)		(952		)
	Expenses and taxes	(436		)		(387		)		(2,501		)		(1,329		)
	Increase in deferred preneed cemetery receipts held in trust	(976		)		(1,963		)		(1,687		)		(3,325		)
		$	—			$	—			$	—			$	—
Purchases and sales of investments in preneed cemetary trusts	'
	Purchases and sales of investments in the preneed cemetery trusts were as follows (in thousands):
		For the Three Months Ended September 30,								For the Nine Months Ended
										September 30,
		2013				2014				2013				2014
	Purchases	$	(18,569	)		$	(17,814	)		$	(34,273	)		$	(39,472	)
	Sales	$	16,409			$	18,061			$	35,229			$	40,981
Components of preneed funeral trust investments	'
	The components of Preneed funeral trust investments on our Consolidated Balance Sheets at December 31, 2013 and September 30, 2014 were as follows (in thousands):
		December 31, 2013				September 30, 2014
	Preneed funeral trust investments, at market value	$	100,005			$	101,480
	Less: allowance for contract cancellation	(2,861		)		(2,955		)
	Preneed funeral trust investments, net	$	97,144			$	98,525
Estimated maturities of fixed preneed funeral trust income securities	'
	The estimated maturities of the fixed income securities included above are as follows (in thousands):
	Due in one year or less	$	855
	Due in one to five years	6,162
	Due in five to ten years	7,013
	Thereafter	33,311
	Total	$	47,341
Cost and fair market values associated with preneed funeral trust investments	'
	The cost and fair market values associated with preneed funeral trust investments at December 31, 2013 are detailed below (in thousands):
		Fair Value Hierarchy Level		Cost				Unrealized				Unrealized				Fair Market
								Gains				Losses				Value
	Cash and money market accounts	1		$	14,631			$	—			$	—			$	14,631
	Fixed income securities:
	U.S. treasury debt	1		2,212				47				(54		)		2,205
	U.S. agency obligations	1		401				8				(7		)		402
	Foreign debt	2		2,726				115				(2		)		2,839
	Corporate debt	2		27,993				375				(957		)		27,411
	Preferred stock	2		15,949				292				(282		)		15,959
	Mortgage backed securities	2		1				—				—				1
	Common stock	1		10,681				2,092				(237		)		12,536
	Mutual funds:
	Equity	1		11,632				2,708				(22		)		14,318
	Fixed income	2		5,455				88				(179		)		5,364
	Other investments	2		3,686				—				(26		)		3,660
	Trust securities			$	95,367			$	5,725			$	(1,766	)		$	99,326
	Accrued investment income			$	679											$	679
	Preneed funeral trust investments															$	100,005
	Fair market value as a percentage of cost															104.2		%
	The cost and fair market values associated with preneed funeral trust investments at September 30, 2014 are detailed below (in thousands):
		Fair Value Hierarchy Level		Cost				Unrealized				Unrealized				Fair Market
								Gains				Losses				Value
	Cash and money market accounts	1		$	14,018			$	—			$	—			$	14,018
	Fixed income securities:
	U.S. treasury debt	1		2,602				34				(34		)		2,602
	U.S. agency obligations	2		31				—				(1		)		30
	Foreign debt	2		3,961				73				(82		)		3,952
	Corporate debt	2		25,294				527				(1,595		)		24,226
	Preferred stock	2		15,777				588				(163		)		16,202
	Mortgage backed securities	2		323				9				(3		)		329
	Common stock	1		13,611				2,475				(782		)		15,304
	Mutual funds:
	Equity	1		13,991				1,237				(118		)		15,110
	Fixed income	2		5,280				105				(85		)		5,300
	Other investments	2		3,614				—				(31		)		3,583
	Trust securities			$	98,502			$	5,048			$	(2,894	)		$	100,656
	Accrued investment income			$	824											$	824
	Preneed funeral trust investments															$	101,480
	Fair market value as a percentage of cost															102.2		%
Schedule of fair market value and unrealized loss on preneed funeral trust investments	'
	Our preneed funeral trust investment unrealized losses, their associated fair market values, and the duration of unrealized losses as of September 30, 2014 and December 31, 2013 are shown in the following tables (in thousands):
		30-Sep-14
		In Loss Position Less than 12 months								In Loss Position Greater than 12 months								Total
		Fair Market Value				Unrealized Losses				Fair Market Value				Unrealized Losses				Fair Market Value		Unrealized Losses
	Fixed income securities:
	U.S. debt	$	1,320			$	(6	)		$	822			$	(29	)		$	2,142	$	(35	)
	U.S. agency obligations	30				—				—				—				30		—
	Foreign debt	3,234				(82		)		—				—				3,234		(82		)
	Corporate debt	15,519				(680		)		1,787				(914		)		17,306		(1,594		)
	Preferred stock	5,195				(154		)		2,606				(10		)		7,801		(164		)
	Mortgage backed securities	—				—				63				(3		)		63		(3		)
	Mutual funds:
	Equity	7,848				(751		)		67				(31		)		7,915		(782		)
	Equity and other	9,315				(116		)		1,917				(2		)		11,232		(118		)
	Fixed income	462				(9		)		4,838				(76		)		5,300		(85		)
	Other investments	—				—				44				(31		)		44		(31		)
	Total temporary impaired securities	$	42,923			$	(1,798	)		$	12,144			$	(1,096	)		$	55,067	$	(2,894	)
		31-Dec-13
		In Loss Position Less than 12 months								In Loss Position Greater than 12 months								Total
		Fair Market Value				Unrealized Losses				Fair Market Value				Unrealized Losses				Fair Market Value		Unrealized Losses
	Fixed income securities:
	U.S. debt	$	—			$	—			$	816			$	(54	)		$	816	$	(54	)
	U.S. agency obligations	—				—				211				(7		)		211		(7		)
	Foreign debt	632				(2		)		—				—				632		(2		)
	Corporate debt	9,620				(460		)		640				(497		)		10,260		(957		)
	Preferred stock	9,918				(282		)		—				—				9,918		(282		)
	Mutual funds:
	Equity	954				(152		)		626				(85		)		1,580		(237		)
	Equity and other	314				(13		)		195				(9		)		509		(22		)
	Fixed income	865				(43		)		1,420				(136		)		2,285		(179		)
	Other investments	—				—				44				(26		)		44		(26		)
	Total temporary impaired securities	$	22,303			$	(952	)		$	3,952			$	(814	)		$	26,255	$	(1,766	)
Preneed funeral trust investment security transactions	'
	Preneed funeral trust investment security transactions recorded in Interest expense on the Consolidated Statements of Operations for the three and nine months ended September 30, 2013 and 2014 were as follows (in thousands):
		For the Three Months Ended September 30,								For the Nine Months Ended
										September 30,
		2013				2014				2013				2014
	Investment income	$	709			$	576			$	2,232			$	2,067
	Realized gains	942				1,605				7,156				5,036
	Realized losses	(111		)		(105		)		(5,664		)		(841		)
	Expenses and taxes	(269		)		(260		)		(1,324		)		(1,158		)
	Increase in deferred preneed funeral receipts held in trust	(1,271		)		(1,816		)		(2,400		)		(5,104		)
		$	—			$	—			$	—			$	—
Purchases and sales of investments in preneed funeral trusts	'
	Purchases and sales of investments in the preneed funeral trusts were as follows (in thousands):
		For the Three Months Ended September 30,								For the Nine Months Ended
										September 30,
		2013				2014				2013				2014
	Purchases	$	(17,266	)		$	(14,630	)		$	(28,355	)		$	(44,147	)
	Sales	$	15,697			$	14,691			$	29,924			$	44,840

Preneed_Cemetery_Receivables_T

Preneed Cemetery Receivables (Tables)	9 Months Ended
	Sep. 30, 2014
Preneed Cemetery Receivables [Abstract]	'
Preneed Cemetery Receivables	'
	, the change in the allowance for contract cancellations was as follows (in thousands):
		September 30, 2014
	Beginning balance	$	1,347
	Write-offs and cancellations	(959		)
	Provision	1,414
	Ending balance	$	1,802
Aging of Past Due Financing Receivables	'
	The aging of financing receivables as of September 30, 2014 was as follows (in thousands):
		31-60			61-90		91-120		>120		Total Past		Current		Total Financing
		Past Due			Past Due		Past Due		Past Due		Due				Receivables
	Recognized revenue	$	816		$	421	$	263	$	1,113	$	2,613	$	20,555	$	23,168
	Deferred revenue	347			183		158		556		1,244		8,368		9,612
	Total contracts	$	1,163		$	604	$	421	$	1,669	$	3,857	$	28,923	$	32,780

Receivables_from_Preneed_Trust1

Receivables from Preneed Trusts (Tables)	9 Months Ended
	Sep. 30, 2014
Receivables From Preneed Trusts [Abstract]	'
Receivables from Preneed Trusts	'
	As of December 31, 2013 and September 30, 2014, receivables from preneed trusts were as follows (in thousands):
		December 31, 2013			September 30, 2014
	Preneed trust funds, at cost	$	11,511		$	12,631
	Less: allowance for contract cancellation	(345		)	(379		)
	Receivables from preneed trusts, net	$	11,166		$	12,252
Composition of Assets Held in Trust	'
	The following summary reflects the composition of the assets held in trust and controlled by third parties to satisfy our future obligations under preneed arrangements related to the preceding contracts at September 30, 2014 and December 31, 2013. The cost basis includes reinvested interest and dividends that have been earned on the trust assets. Fair value includes the unrealized gains and losses on trust assets.
		Historical			Fair Value
		Cost Basis
		(in thousands)
	As of September 30, 2014
	Cash and cash equivalents	$	2,834		$	2,834
	Fixed income investments	7,344			7,364
	Mutual funds and common stocks	2,429			2,508
	Annuities	24			24
	Total	$	12,631		$	12,730
		Historical			Fair Value
		Cost Basis
		(in thousands)
	As of December 31, 2013
	Cash and cash equivalents	$	2,657		$	2,657
	Fixed income investments	6,344			6,355
	Mutual funds and common stocks	2,484			2,561
	Annuities	26			26
	Total	$	11,511		$	11,599

Cemetery_Perpetual_Care_Trust_1

Cemetery Perpetual Care Trust Investments (Tables)	9 Months Ended
	Sep. 30, 2014
Cemetery Perpetual Care Trust Investments [Abstract]	'
Components of care trusts' corpus	'
	The components of Care trusts’ corpus as of December 31, 2013 and September 30, 2014 were as follows (in thousands):
		December 31, 2013				September 30, 2014
	Trust assets, at fair value	$	42,342			$	50,234
	Obligations due from trust	(449		)		(31		)
	Care trusts’ corpus	$	41,893			$	50,203
Cost and fair market values associated with the trust investments held in perpetual care trust funds	'
	The following table reflects the cost and fair market values associated with the trust investments held in perpetual care trust funds at September 30, 2014 (in thousands):
		Fair Value Hierarchy Level		Cost				Unrealized				Unrealized				Fair Market
								Gains				Losses				Value
	Cash and money market accounts	1		$	999			$	—			$	—			$	999
	Fixed income securities:
	Municipal bonds	2		231				8				—				239
	Foreign debt	2		3,323				62				(69		)		3,316
	Corporate debt	2		20,547				300				(1,338		)		19,509
	Preferred stock	2		12,474				440				(137		)		12,777
	Mortgage backed securities	2		1				—				—				1
	Common stock	1		11,310				2,042				(644		)		12,708
	Trust securities			$	48,885			$	2,852			$	(2,188	)		$	49,549
	Accrued investment income			$	685											$	685
	Cemetery perpetual care trust investments															$	50,234
	Fair market value as a percentage of cost															101.4		%
Estimated maturities of fixed perpetual care trust income securities	'
	The estimated maturities of the fixed income securities included above are as follows (in thousands):
	Due in one year or less	$	—
	Due in one to five years	4,261
	Due in five to ten years	5,185
	Thereafter	26,396
		$	35,842
Cost and fair Market Values Associated with Trust Investments Held in Perpetual Care Trust Funds [Table Text Block]	'
	The following table reflects the cost and fair market values associated with the trust investments held in perpetual care trust funds at December 31, 2013 (in thousands):
		Fair Value Hierarchy Level		Cost				Unrealized				Unrealized				Fair Market
								Gains				Losses				Value
	Cash and money market accounts	1		$	973			$	—			$	—			$	973
	Fixed income securities:
	Foreign debt	2		2,062				87				(2		)		2,147
	Corporate debt	2		19,773				236				(691		)		19,318
	Preferred stock	2		10,668				110				(165		)		10,613
	Common stock	1		7,539				1,417				(178		)		8,778
	Trust securities			$	41,015			$	1,850			$	(1,036	)		$	41,829
	Accrued investment income			$	513											$	513
	Cemetery perpetual care investments															$	42,342
	Fair market value as a percentage of cost															102		%
Schedule of fair market value and unrealized loss on perteptual care trust investments	'
	Our perpetual care trust investment unrealized losses, their associated fair market values, and the duration of unrealized losses for the periods ended September 30, 2014 and December 31, 2013 are shown in the following tables (in thousands):
		30-Sep-14
		In Loss Position Less than 12 months								In Loss Position Greater than 12 months								Total
		Fair Market Value				Unrealized Losses				Fair Market Value				Unrealized Losses				Fair Market Value		Unrealized Losses
	Fixed income securities:
	Foreign debt	$	2,714			$	(69	)		$	—			$	—			$	2,714	$	(69	)
	Corporate debt	13,025				(571		)		1,500				(767		)		14,525		(1,338		)
	Preferred stock	4,349				(129		)		2,181				(8		)		6,530		(137		)
	Common stock	6,460				(618		)		55				(26		)		6,515		(644		)
	Total temporary impaired securities	$	26,548			$	(1,387	)		$	3,736			$	(801	)		$	30,284	$	(2,188	)
		31-Dec-13
		In Loss Position Less than 12 months								In Loss Position Greater than 12 months								Total
		Fair Market Value				Unrealized Losses				Fair Market Value				Unrealized Losses				Fair Market Value		Unrealized Losses
	Fixed income securities:
	Foreign debt	$	478			$	(2	)		$	—			$	—			$	478	$	(2	)
	Corporate debt	6,948				(332		)		462				(359		)		7,410		(691		)
	Preferred stock	5,811				(165		)		—				—				5,811		(165		)
	Common stock	716				(114		)		470				(64		)		1,186		(178		)
	Total temporary impaired securities	$	13,953			$	(613	)		$	932			$	(423	)		$	14,885	$	(1,036	)
Perpetual care trust investment security transactions recorded in interest income and other, net	'
	Perpetual care trust investment security transactions recorded in Interest expense on our Consolidated Statements of Operations for the three and nine months ended September 30, 2013 and 2014 were as follows (in thousands):
		For the Three Months Ended September 30,								For the Nine Months Ended
										September 30,
		2013				2014				2013				2014
	Realized gains	$	634			$	1,061			$	1,721			$	2,375
	Realized losses	(72		)		(67		)		(470		)		(759		)
	Increase in care trusts’ corpus	(562		)		(994		)		(1,251		)		(1,616		)
	Total	$	—			$	—			$	—			$	—
Perpetual care trust investment security transactions recorded in cemetery revenue	'
	Perpetual care trust investment security transactions recorded in Cemetery revenues for the three and nine months ended September 30, 2013 and 2014 were as follows (in thousands):
		For the Three Months Ended September 30,								For the Nine Months Ended
										September 30,
		2013				2014				2013				2014
	Investment income	$	1,382			$	1,168			$	3,852			$	3,748
	Realized (loss) gains, net	(2		)		495				681				645
	Total	$	1,380			$	1,663			$	4,533			$	4,393
Purchases and sales of investments in perpetual care trusts	'
	Purchases and sales of investments in the perpetual care trusts were as follows (in thousands):
		For the Three Months Ended September 30,								For the Nine Months Ended
										September 30,
		2013				2014				2013				2014
	Purchases	$	(10,703	)		$	(12,000	)		$	(20,541	)		$	(26,136	)
	Sales	$	9,400			$	12,141			$	21,195			$	27,163

Deferred_Charges_and_Other_Non1

Deferred Charges and Other Non-Current Assets (Tables)	9 Months Ended
	Sep. 30, 2014
Deferred Costs, Capitalized, Prepaid, and Other Assets Disclosure [Abstract]	'
Deferred Costs, Capitalized, Prepaid, and Other Assets Disclosure [Table Text Block]	'
	Deferred charges and other non-current assets at December 31, 2013 and September 30, 2014 were as follows (in thousands):
		December 31,		September 30,
		2013		2014
	Prepaid agreements not-to-compete, net of accumulated amortization of $4,807 and $5,035, respectively	$	1,299	$	1,174
	Deferred loan costs, net of accumulated amortization of $1,252 and $2,701, respectively	2,602		1,978
	Convertible junior subordinated debenture origination costs, net of accumulated amortization of $1,095	2,949		—
	Convertible subordinated notes issuance costs, net of accumulated amortization of $256	—		3,371
	Tradenames	5,430		7,660
	Other	—		340
	Deferred charges and other non-current assets	$	12,280	$	14,523

LongTerm_Debt_Tables

Long-Term Debt (Tables)	9 Months Ended
	Sep. 30, 2014
Debt Disclosure [Abstract]	'
Schedule of Long-term Debt	'
	senior long-term debt consisted of the following at December 31, 2013 and September 30, 2014 (in thousands):
		31-Dec-13			30-Sep-14
	Revolving credit facility, secured, floating rate	$	36,900		$	42,300
	Term loan, secured, floating rate	117,000			122,656
	Acquisition debt	1,866			1,336
	Less: current portion	(13,224		)	(9,681		)
	Total long-term debt	$	142,542		$	156,611

Convertible_Subordinated_Notes1

Convertible Subordinated Notes (Tables)	9 Months Ended
	Sep. 30, 2014
Convertible Subordinated Notes [Abstract]	'
Schedule of Liability and Equity Components of Convertible Subordinated Notes	'
	The carrying values of the liability and equity components of the Notes at September 30, 2014 are reflected in our Consolidated Balance Sheets as follows (in thousands):
		30-Sep-14
	Long-term liabilities:
	Principal amount	$	143,750
	Unamortized discount of liability component	(30,013		)
	Carrying value of the liability component	$	113,737
	Equity component carrying value	$	17,973

Stockholders_Equity_Tables

Stockholders' Equity (Tables)	9 Months Ended
	Sep. 30, 2014
Disclosure of Compensation Related Costs, Share-based Payments [Abstract]	'
Schedule of Share-based Payment Award, Stock Options, Valuation Assumptions [Table Text Block]	'
	The fair value of the option grant was estimated on the date of grant using the Black-Scholes option pricing model with the following weighted-average assumptions:
		2-Sep-14
	Dividend yield	0.53	%
	Expected volatility	33.44	%
	Risk-free interest rate	1.34	%
	Expected life (years)	4
	Black-Scholes value	$5.06
Assumptions for the fair value of the right (option) to purchase shares under ESPP	'
	The fair value of the right (option) to purchase shares under the ESPP is estimated on the date of grant (January 1 of each year) associated with the four quarterly purchase dates using the following assumptions:
			2014
	Dividend yield		0.6	%
	Expected volatility		33.37	%
	Risk-free interest rate		0.07%, 0.09%, 0.11%, 0.13%
	Expected life (years)		0.25, 0.50, 0.75, 1.00
Schedule of Accumulated Other Comprehensive Income	'
	Our components of Accumulated other comprehensive income are as follows:
		Accumulated Other Comprehensive Income
	Balance at December 31, 2013	$	—
	Increase in net unrealized gains associated with available-for-sale securities of the trusts	3,783
	Reclassification of net unrealized gain activity attributable to the Deferred preneed funeral and cemetery receipts held in trust and Care trusts’ corpus	(3,783		)
	Balance at September 30, 2014	$	—

Major_Segments_of_Business_Tab

Major Segments of Business (Tables)	9 Months Ended
	Sep. 30, 2014
Segment Reporting [Abstract]	'
Revenue, pre-tax income and total and total assets by segments	'
	The following table presents revenue from continuing operations, pre-tax income (loss) from continuing operations and total assets by segment (in thousands):
		Funeral		Cemetery		Corporate			Consolidated
	Revenues from continuing operations:
	Nine months ended September 30, 2014	$	127,926	$	38,779	$	—		$	166,705
	Nine months ended September 30, 2013	$	122,427	$	38,008	$	—		$	160,435
	Income (loss) from continuing operations before income taxes:
	Nine months ended September 30, 2014	$	39,025	$	10,959	$	(35,729	)	$	14,255
	Nine months ended September 30, 2013	$	37,329	$	11,513	$	(30,228	)	$	18,614
	Total assets:
	30-Sep-14	$	564,768	$	242,595	$	18,333		$	825,696
	31-Dec-13	$	502,525	$	227,520	$	16,554		$	746,599

Supplemental_Disclosure_of_Sta1

Supplemental Disclosure of Statement of Operations Information (Tables)	9 Months Ended
	Sep. 30, 2014
Supplemental Income Statement Elements [Abstract]	'
Supplemental Disclosure for the Consolidated Statements of Operations	'
	The following information is supplemental disclosure for the Consolidated Statements of Operations (in thousands):
		For the Three Months Ended September 30,				For the Nine Months Ended
						September 30,
		2013		2014		2013		2014
	Revenues
	Goods
	Funeral	$	14,678	$	15,771	$	48,325	$	49,230
	Cemetery	7,544		7,582		23,136		23,754
	Total goods	$	22,222	$	23,353	$	71,461	$	72,984
	Services
	Funeral	$	20,360	$	23,717	$	67,083	$	71,562
	Cemetery	2,513		2,602		7,582		7,913
	Total services	$	22,873	$	26,319	$	74,665	$	79,475
	Financial revenue
	Preneed funeral commission income	$	446	$	509	$	1,435	$	1,636
	Preneed funeral trust earnings	1,648		1,773		5,584		5,498
	Cemetery trust earnings	1,940		2,212		6,220		6,072
	Cemetery finance charges	372		383		1,070		1,040
	Total financial revenue	$	4,406	$	4,877	$	14,309	$	14,246
	Total revenues	$	49,501	$	54,549	$	160,435	$	166,705
	Cost of revenues
	Goods
	Funeral	$	12,089	$	13,139	$	38,783	$	40,336
	Cemetery	5,651		6,082		16,804		17,669
	Total goods	$	17,740	$	19,221	$	55,587	$	58,005
	Services
	Funeral	$	10,881	$	12,511	$	33,913	$	36,743
	Cemetery	1,669		1,840		4,874		5,204
	Total services	$	12,550	$	14,351	$	38,787	$	41,947
	Financial expenses
	Preneed funeral commissions	$	263	$	260	$	972	$	788
	Trust administration fees	48		86		170		168
	Total financial expenses	$	311	$	346	$	1,142	$	956
	Total cost of revenues	$	30,601	$	33,918	$	95,516	$	100,908

Supplemental_Disclosure_of_Cas1

Supplemental Disclosure of Cash Flow Information (Tables)	9 Months Ended
	Sep. 30, 2014
Supplemental Cash Flow Information [Abstract]	'
Supplemental Disclosure for the Consolidated Statements of Cash Flows	'
	The following information is supplemental disclosure for the Consolidated Statements of Cash Flows (in thousands):
		For the Nine Months Ended September 30,
		2013			2014
	Cash paid for interest	$	9,444		$	7,588
	Cash paid for income taxes	506			830
	Fair value of stock, stock options and performance awards issued to directors, officers and certain employees	3,822			8,219
	Restricted common stock withheld for payroll taxes	1,601			1,305
	Net deposits into preneed funeral trusts	(1,400		)	(1,336		)
	Net withdrawals (deposits) from / into preneed cemetery trusts	181			(1,099		)
	Net withdrawals from perpetual care trusts	5,209			293
	Net increase in preneed receivables	(1,530		)	(1,500		)
	Net deposits of receivables into preneed trusts	(424		)	(1,086		)
	Net change in preneed funeral receivables increasing deferred revenue	1,869			245
	Net change in preneed cemetery receivables increasing deferred revenue	621			90
	Net deposits into preneed funeral trust accounts increasing deferred preneed funeral receipts held in trust	1,400			1,336
	Net (withdrawals) deposits from / into cemetery trust accounts (decreasing) increasing deferred cemetery receipts held in trust	(181		)	1,099
	Net (withdrawals) deposits from / into perpetual care trust accounts (decreasing) increasing perpetual care trusts’ corpus	(4,820		)	160

Earnings_Per_Share_Tables

Earnings Per Share (Tables)	9 Months Ended
	Sep. 30, 2014
Earnings Per Share [Abstract]	'
Schedule of Earnings Per Share, Basic and Diluted	'
	The following table sets forth the computation of the basic and diluted earnings per share for the three and nine months ended September 30, 2013 and 2014:
		For the Three Months Ended September 30,						For the Nine Months Ended September 30,
		2013			2014			2013			2014
	Numerator for basic earnings per share:
	Numerator from continuing operations
	Income from continuing operations	$	1,908		$	4,565		$	10,888		$	10,080
	Less: Earnings allocated to unvested restricted stock	(35		)	(84		)	(236		)	(198		)
	Income attributable to continuing operations	$	1,873		$	4,481		$	10,652		$	9,882
	Numerator from discontinued operations
	Income from discontinued operations	$	3,986		$	431		$	4,408		$	381
	Less: Earnings allocated to unvested restricted stock	(74		)	(8		)	(96		)	(8		)
	Income attributable to discontinued operations	$	3,912		$	423		$	4,312		$	373
	Numerator for diluted earnings per share:
	Adjustment for diluted earnings per share:
	Interest on convertible junior subordinated debentures, net of tax	$	—		$	—		$	2,462		$	—
		$	—		$	—		$	2,462		$	—
	Income attributable to continuing operations	$	1,873		$	4,481		$	13,114		$	9,882
	Income attributable to discontinued operations	$	3,912		$	423		$	4,312		$	373
	Denominator
	Denominator for basic earnings per common share - weighted average shares outstanding	17,892			18,150			17,794			18,086
	Effect of dilutive securities:
	Stock options	165			126			175			137
	Convertible junior subordinated debentures	—			—			4,392			—
	Denominator for diluted earnings per common share - weighted average shares outstanding	18,057			18,276			22,361			18,223
	Basic earnings per common share:
	Continuing operations	$	0.1		$	0.25		$	0.6		$	0.55
	Discontinued operations	0.22			0.02			0.24			0.02
	Basic earnings per common share	$	0.32		$	0.27		$	0.84		$	0.57
	Diluted earnings per common share:
	Continuing operations	$	0.1		$	0.24		$	0.59		$	0.54
	Discontinued operations	0.22			0.02			0.19			0.02
	Diluted earnings per common share	$	0.32		$	0.26		$	0.78		$	0.56

Basis_of_Presentation_and_Summ2

Basis of Presentation and Summary of Significant Accounting Policies (Operations) (Details) (USD $)	3 Months Ended		9 Months Ended
Share data in Thousands, unless otherwise specified	Sep. 30, 2014	Sep. 30, 2013	Sep. 30, 2014	Sep. 30, 2013	Dec. 31, 2013
	funeral_homes		segment
	institution		institution
Organization Description and Operations [Line Items]	'	'	'	'	'
Unrecognized tax benefits	$515,000	'	$515,000	'	$7,832,000
Number of business segments	'	'	2	'	'
Period after which commissions are no longer subject to refund	'	'	'1 year	'	'
Accounts receivable, net	17,762,000	'	17,762,000	'	17,950,000
Preneed receivables	26,053,000	'	26,053,000	'	24,521,000
Bad debt expense	775,000	492,000	2,113,000	1,274,000	'
Period during which sale is expected to occur after receipt of buyer letter of intent and commitment for reclassfication from continuing to discontinued operations.	'	'	'1 year	'	'
Effect of dilutive securities, Convertible junior subordinated debentures (in shares)	0	0	0	4,392	'
Number of institutions for which the Company provides management services	2	'	2	'	'
The percentage of trust assets in custody of institution receiving trust management services	77.00%	'	77.00%	'	'
Reduction in tax liability, unrecognized tax benefits	7,300,000	'	'	'	'
Tax benefit resulting from change in unrealized tax benefit	'	'	-1,700,000	'	'
Income tax benefit	2,390,000	1,257,000	5,915,000	7,726,000	'
Increase to deferred tax liability, unrecognized tax benefits	'	'	5,600,000	'	'
Unrecognized tax benefits, decrease to interest expense	'	'	-600,000	'	'
Unrecognized Tax Benefits, Interest on Income Taxes Accrued	0	'	0	'	506,000
Number of Funeral Homes Sold	2	'	'	'	'
Ohio [Member]	'	'	'	'	'
Organization Description and Operations [Line Items]	'	'	'	'	'
Number of Funeral Homes Sold	1	'	'	'	'
Kentucky [Member]	'	'	'	'	'
Organization Description and Operations [Line Items]	'	'	'	'	'
Number of Funeral Homes Sold	1	'	'	'	'
Separate Income Tax Returns [Member]	'	'	'	'	'
Organization Description and Operations [Line Items]	'	'	'	'	'
Number of states in which Company operates	16	'	16	'	'
Combined or Unitary Income Tax Returns [Member]	'	'	'	'	'
Organization Description and Operations [Line Items]	'	'	'	'	'
Number of states in which Company operates	11	'	11	'	'
Funeral [Member]	'	'	'	'	'
Organization Description and Operations [Line Items]	'	'	'	'	'
Accounts receivable, net	7,600,000	'	7,600,000	'	8,400,000
Preneed receivables	7,600,000	'	7,600,000	'	8,100,000
Cemetery [Member]	'	'	'	'	'
Organization Description and Operations [Line Items]	'	'	'	'	'
Accounts receivable, net	9,900,000	'	9,900,000	'	8,300,000
Preneed receivables	$18,500,000	'	$18,500,000	'	$16,500,000
Funeral homes [Member]	'	'	'	'	'
Organization Description and Operations [Line Items]	'	'	'	'	'
Number of owned and operated funeral homes (in Funeral Homes)	164	'	164	'	'
Number of states in which Company operates	27	'	27	'	'
Cemeteries [Member]	'	'	'	'	'
Organization Description and Operations [Line Items]	'	'	'	'	'
Number of states in which Company operates	11	'	11	'	'
Number of owned and operated cemeteries (in Cemetaries)	32	'	32	'	'

Basis_of_Presentation_and_Summ3

Basis of Presentation and Summary of Significant Accounting Policies (PPE) (Details) (USD $)	3 Months Ended		9 Months Ended
	Sep. 30, 2014	Sep. 30, 2013	Sep. 30, 2014	Sep. 30, 2013	Dec. 31, 2013
Property, Plant and Equipment [Line Items]	'	'	'	'	'
Property, plant and equipment, gross	$277,377,000	'	$277,377,000	'	$249,317,000
Less: accumulated depreciation	-93,595,000	'	-93,595,000	'	-88,627,000
Property, plant and equipment, net	183,782,000	'	183,782,000	'	160,690,000
Gain on purchase of property, previously under capital lease	'	'	1,100,000	'	'
Depreciation expense	2,300,000	2,200,000	6,800,000	6,641,000	'
Land [Member]	'	'	'	'	'
Property, Plant and Equipment [Line Items]	'	'	'	'	'
Property, plant and equipment, gross	66,080,000	'	66,080,000	'	55,639,000
Buildings and improvements [Member]	'	'	'	'	'
Property, Plant and Equipment [Line Items]	'	'	'	'	'
Property, plant and equipment, gross	146,352,000	'	146,352,000	'	132,172,000
Furniture, equipment and automobiles [Member]	'	'	'	'	'
Property, Plant and Equipment [Line Items]	'	'	'	'	'
Property, plant and equipment, gross	$64,945,000	'	$64,945,000	'	$61,506,000

Basis_of_Presentation_and_Summ4

Basis of Presentation and Summary of Significant Accounting Policies (Business Combinations) (Details)	0 Months Ended
	15-May-14
Business Acquisition [Line Items]	'
Number of acquisitions	6

Basis_of_Presentation_and_Summ5

Basis of Presentation and Summary of Significant Accounting Policies (Fair Value) (Details) (USD $)	3 Months Ended
	Sep. 30, 2014	Dec. 31, 2013
Fair Value, Assets and Liabilities Measured on Recurring and Nonrecurring Basis [Line Items]	'	'
Liabilities measured at fair value	$0	'
Impairment of debt and equity securities	382,755	'
Convertible subordinated notes due 2021	113,737,000	0
Convertible junior subordinated debentures due to an affiliate	0	89,770,000
Level 3 inputs [Member]	'	'
Fair Value, Assets and Liabilities Measured on Recurring and Nonrecurring Basis [Line Items]	'	'
Liabilities measured at fair value	$0	'

Acquisitions_Narrative_Details

Acquisitions (Narrative) (Details) (USD $)	0 Months Ended	9 Months Ended		3 Months Ended
	15-May-14	Sep. 30, 2014	Sep. 30, 2013	Sep. 30, 2014	Mar. 31, 2013	Mar. 03, 2014
				Land [Member]	Land [Member]	Service Corporation International, subsidiaries [Member]
Property, Plant and Equipment [Line Items]	'	'	'	'	'	'
Cost of land acquired for development	'	$18,158,000	$7,425,000	$2,000,000	$6,000,000	'
Number of acquisitions	6	'	'	'	'	'
Business combination, aggregate purchase price	'	'	'	'	'	$54,900,000

Assets_Held_for_Sale_and_Disco2

Assets Held for Sale and Discontinued Operations (Assets and Liabilities Associated with the Cemetery and Funeral Home Businesses Held for Sale) (Details) (USD $)	Sep. 30, 2014	Dec. 31, 2013	Sep. 30, 2014	Sep. 30, 2014	Sep. 30, 2014
			Cemetery [Member]	Ohio [Member]	Kentucky [Member]
				Funeral homes [Member]	Funeral homes [Member]
Income Statement, Balance Sheet and Additional Disclosures by Disposal Groups, Including Discontinued Operations [Line Items]	'	'	'	'	'
Proceeds from Sale of Property Held-for-sale	'	'	$200,000	$600,000	$1,100,000
Assets:	'	'	'	'	'
Current assets	0	3,544,000	'	'	'
Preneed cemetery trust investments	73,072,000	68,341,000	'	'	'
Preneed funeral trust investments	98,525,000	97,144,000	'	'	'
Preneed receivables	26,053,000	24,521,000	'	'	'
Goodwill	257,504,000	221,087,000	'	'	'
Cemetery perpetual care trust investments	50,234,000	42,342,000	'	'	'
Liabilities:	'	'	'	'	'
Deferred preneed cemetery revenue	57,340,000	55,479,000	'	'	'
Deferred preneed funeral revenue	30,833,000	30,588,000	'	'	'
Deferred preneed funeral receipts held in trust	98,525,000	97,144,000	'	'	'
Care trusts corpus	50,203,000	41,893,000	'	'	'
Total	$0	$4,357,000	'	'	'

Assets_Held_for_Sale_and_Disco3

Assets Held for Sale and Discontinued Operations (Assets held for sale and discontinued operations) (Details) (USD $)	3 Months Ended			9 Months Ended
	Sep. 30, 2014	Mar. 31, 2014	Sep. 30, 2013	Sep. 30, 2014	Sep. 30, 2013
Assets Held For Sale and Discontinued Operations [Abstract]	'	'	'	'	'
Gain (Loss) on Disposition of Business	$700,000	$900,000	'	'	'
Revenues	188,000	'	751,000	815,000	3,664,000
Operating income	48,000	'	66,000	236,000	700,000
Impairment	0	'	0	-1,180,000	-100,000
Net gain on disposal	685,000	'	6,399,000	1,594,000	6,546,000
Income tax provision	-302,000	'	-2,479,000	-269,000	-2,738,000
Income from discontinued operations	$431,000	'	$3,986,000	$381,000	$4,408,000

Goodwill_Changes_in_Goodwill_D

Goodwill (Changes in Goodwill) (Details) (USD $)	9 Months Ended
	Sep. 30, 2014
Goodwill [Roll Forward]	'
Goodwill at beginning of period	$221,087,000
Increase in goodwill related to acquisitions	33,826,000
Goodwill - Changes in Previous Estimates	3,788,000
Net impairment and write-off related to divestitures	-1,197,000
Goodwill at end of period	257,504,000
Goodwill, impairment loss	1,200,000
November 2013 Acquisition [Member]	'
Goodwill [Roll Forward]	'
Goodwill - Changes in Previous Estimates	100,000
SCI acquisition [Member]	'
Goodwill [Roll Forward]	'
Goodwill - Changes in Previous Estimates	$3,900,000

Preneed_Trust_Investments_Comp

Preneed Trust Investments (Components of preneed cemetery trust investments) (Details) (USD $)	3 Months Ended	9 Months Ended
	Mar. 31, 2014	Sep. 30, 2014	Dec. 31, 2013
Schedule of Trading Securities and Other Trading Assets [Line Items]	'	'	'
Fair value measurements, transfers between Level 1 and Level 2	$400,000	$0	'
Preneed cemetery trust investments	'	73,072,000	68,341,000
Preneed Cemetery Trust Investments [Member]	'	'	'
Schedule of Trading Securities and Other Trading Assets [Line Items]	'	'	'
Preneed cemetary trust investments, at fair value	'	75,271,000	70,386,000
Less: allowance for contract cancellation	'	-2,199,000	-2,045,000
Preneed cemetery trust investments	'	$73,072,000	$68,341,000

Preneed_Trust_Investments_Cost

Preneed Trust Investments (Cost and fair market values associated with preneed cemetery trust investments) (Details) (Preneed Cemetery Trust Investments [Member], USD $)	Sep. 30, 2014	Dec. 31, 2013
In Thousands, unless otherwise specified
Schedule of Trading Securities and Other Trading Assets [Line Items]	'	'
Cost	$73,290	$68,145
Unrealized Gains	4,202	3,072
Unrealized Losses	-3,237	-1,693
Fair Market Value	74,255	69,524
Preneed cemetery trust investments	75,271	70,386
Fair market value as a percentage of cost	101.30%	102.00%
Cash and money market accounts [Member]	'	'
Schedule of Trading Securities and Other Trading Assets [Line Items]	'	'
Cost	2,428	1,541
Unrealized Gains	0	0
Unrealized Losses	0	0
Cash and money market accounts [Member] | Fair Value, Inputs, Level 1 [Member]	'	'
Schedule of Trading Securities and Other Trading Assets [Line Items]	'	'
Fair Market Value	2,428	1,541
Municipal Bonds [Member]	'	'
Schedule of Trading Securities and Other Trading Assets [Line Items]	'	'
Cost	344	'
Unrealized Gains	12	'
Unrealized Losses	0	'
Municipal Bonds [Member] | Fair Value, Inputs, Level 2 [Member]	'	'
Schedule of Trading Securities and Other Trading Assets [Line Items]	'	'
Fair Market Value	356	'
Foreign Government Debt Securities [Member]	'	'
Schedule of Trading Securities and Other Trading Assets [Line Items]	'	'
Cost	4,945	3,460
Unrealized Gains	91	146
Unrealized Losses	-102	-3
Foreign Government Debt Securities [Member] | Fair Value, Inputs, Level 2 [Member]	'	'
Schedule of Trading Securities and Other Trading Assets [Line Items]	'	'
Fair Market Value	4,934	3,603
Corporate Debt [Member]	'	'
Schedule of Trading Securities and Other Trading Assets [Line Items]	'	'
Cost	30,384	32,958
Unrealized Gains	433	386
Unrealized Losses	-1,984	-1,150
Corporate Debt [Member] | Fair Value, Inputs, Level 2 [Member]	'	'
Schedule of Trading Securities and Other Trading Assets [Line Items]	'	'
Fair Market Value	28,833	32,194
Preferred Stock [Member]	'	'
Schedule of Trading Securities and Other Trading Assets [Line Items]	'	'
Cost	18,432	17,754
Unrealized Gains	647	178
Unrealized Losses	-203	-273
Preferred Stock [Member] | Fair Value, Inputs, Level 2 [Member]	'	'
Schedule of Trading Securities and Other Trading Assets [Line Items]	'	'
Fair Market Value	18,876	17,659
Mortgage Backed Securities [Member]	'	'
Schedule of Trading Securities and Other Trading Assets [Line Items]	'	'
Cost	1	1
Unrealized Gains	0	0
Unrealized Losses	0	0
Mortgage Backed Securities [Member] | Fair Value, Inputs, Level 2 [Member]	'	'
Schedule of Trading Securities and Other Trading Assets [Line Items]	'	'
Fair Market Value	1	1
Common Stock	'	'
Schedule of Trading Securities and Other Trading Assets [Line Items]	'	'
Cost	16,756	12,431
Unrealized Gains	3,019	2,362
Unrealized Losses	-948	-267
Common Stock | Fair Value, Inputs, Level 1 [Member]	'	'
Schedule of Trading Securities and Other Trading Assets [Line Items]	'	'
Fair Market Value	18,827	14,526
Accrued Investment Income [Member]	'	'
Schedule of Trading Securities and Other Trading Assets [Line Items]	'	'
Cost	1,016	862
Fair Market Value	$1,016	$862

Preneed_Trust_Investments_Esti

Preneed Trust Investments (Estimated maturities of fixed preneed cemetery trust income securities) (Details) (Preneed Cemetery Trust Investments [Member], USD $)	Sep. 30, 2014
In Thousands, unless otherwise specified
Preneed Cemetery Trust Investments [Member]	'
Schedule of Trading Securities and Other Trading Assets [Line Items]	'
Due in one year or less	$0
Due in one to five years	6,299
Due in five to ten years	7,670
Thereafter	39,031
Total	$53,000

Preneed_Trust_Investments_Unre

Preneed Trust Investments (Unrealized losses on cemetery merchandise and service trust investments) (Details) (Preneed Cemetery Trust Investments [Member], USD $)	9 Months Ended	12 Months Ended
In Thousands, unless otherwise specified	Sep. 30, 2014	Dec. 31, 2013
Gain (Loss) on Investments [Line Items]	'	'
Available-for-sale Securities, Continuous Unrealized Loss Position, Less than Twelve Months, Fair Value	$39,321	$23,041
Available-for-sale Securities, Continuous Unrealized Loss Position, Less than 12 Months, Aggregate Losses	-2,050	-1,000
Available-for-sale Securities, Continuous Unrealized Loss Position, Twelve Months or Longer, Fair Value	5,543	1,474
Available-for-sale Securities, Continuous Unrealized Loss Position, 12 Months or Longer, Aggregate Losses	-1,187	-693
Available-for-sale Securities, Continuous Unrealized Loss Position, Fair Value	44,864	24,515
Available-for-sale Securities, Continuous Unrealized Loss Position, Aggregate Losses	-3,237	-1,693
Foreign Debt [Member]	'	'
Gain (Loss) on Investments [Line Items]	'	'
Available-for-sale Securities, Continuous Unrealized Loss Position, Less than Twelve Months, Fair Value	4,039	802
Available-for-sale Securities, Continuous Unrealized Loss Position, Less than 12 Months, Aggregate Losses	-102	-3
Available-for-sale Securities, Continuous Unrealized Loss Position, Twelve Months or Longer, Fair Value	0	0
Available-for-sale Securities, Continuous Unrealized Loss Position, 12 Months or Longer, Aggregate Losses	0	0
Available-for-sale Securities, Continuous Unrealized Loss Position, Fair Value	4,039	802
Available-for-sale Securities, Continuous Unrealized Loss Position, Aggregate Losses	-102	-3
Corporate Debt [Member]	'	'
Gain (Loss) on Investments [Line Items]	'	'
Available-for-sale Securities, Continuous Unrealized Loss Position, Less than Twelve Months, Fair Value	19,306	11,561
Available-for-sale Securities, Continuous Unrealized Loss Position, Less than 12 Months, Aggregate Losses	-846	-553
Available-for-sale Securities, Continuous Unrealized Loss Position, Twelve Months or Longer, Fair Value	2,224	769
Available-for-sale Securities, Continuous Unrealized Loss Position, 12 Months or Longer, Aggregate Losses	-1,137	-597
Available-for-sale Securities, Continuous Unrealized Loss Position, Fair Value	21,530	12,330
Available-for-sale Securities, Continuous Unrealized Loss Position, Aggregate Losses	-1,983	-1,150
Preferred Stock [Member]	'	'
Gain (Loss) on Investments [Line Items]	'	'
Available-for-sale Securities, Continuous Unrealized Loss Position, Less than Twelve Months, Fair Value	6,456	9,601
Available-for-sale Securities, Continuous Unrealized Loss Position, Less than 12 Months, Aggregate Losses	-191	-273
Available-for-sale Securities, Continuous Unrealized Loss Position, Twelve Months or Longer, Fair Value	3,238	0
Available-for-sale Securities, Continuous Unrealized Loss Position, 12 Months or Longer, Aggregate Losses	-12	0
Available-for-sale Securities, Continuous Unrealized Loss Position, Fair Value	9,694	9,601
Available-for-sale Securities, Continuous Unrealized Loss Position, Aggregate Losses	-203	-273
Common Stock [Member]	'	'
Gain (Loss) on Investments [Line Items]	'	'
Available-for-sale Securities, Continuous Unrealized Loss Position, Less than Twelve Months, Fair Value	9,520	1,077
Available-for-sale Securities, Continuous Unrealized Loss Position, Less than 12 Months, Aggregate Losses	-911	-171
Available-for-sale Securities, Continuous Unrealized Loss Position, Twelve Months or Longer, Fair Value	81	705
Available-for-sale Securities, Continuous Unrealized Loss Position, 12 Months or Longer, Aggregate Losses	-38	-96
Available-for-sale Securities, Continuous Unrealized Loss Position, Fair Value	9,601	1,782
Available-for-sale Securities, Continuous Unrealized Loss Position, Aggregate Losses	($949)	($267)

Preneed_Trust_Investments_Pren

Preneed Trust Investments (Preneed cemetery trust investment security transactions) (Details) (Preneed Cemetery Trust Investments [Member], Interest Income and Other, Net [Member], USD $)	3 Months Ended		9 Months Ended
In Thousands, unless otherwise specified	Sep. 30, 2014	Sep. 30, 2013	Sep. 30, 2014	Sep. 30, 2013
Preneed Cemetery Trust Investments [Member] | Interest Income and Other, Net [Member]	'	'	'	'
Schedule of Trading Securities and Other Trading Assets [Line Items]	'	'	'	'
Investment income	$504	$671	$1,936	$2,436
Realized gains	1,970	835	3,670	2,420
Realized losses	-124	-94	-952	-668
Expenses and taxes	-387	-436	-1,329	-2,501
Increase (decrease) in deferred preneed cemetery receipts held in trust	($1,963)	($976)	($3,325)	($1,687)

Preneed_Trust_Investments_Purc

Preneed Trust Investments (Purchases and sales of investments in preneed cemetery trusts) (Details) (Preneed Cemetery Trust Investments [Member], USD $)	3 Months Ended		9 Months Ended
In Thousands, unless otherwise specified	Sep. 30, 2014	Sep. 30, 2013	Sep. 30, 2014	Sep. 30, 2013
Preneed Cemetery Trust Investments [Member]	'	'	'	'
Schedule of Trading Securities and Other Trading Assets [Line Items]	'	'	'	'
Purchases	($17,814)	($18,569)	($39,472)	($34,273)
Sales	$18,061	$16,409	$40,981	$35,229

Preneed_Trust_Investments_Comp1

Preneed Trust Investments (Components of preneed funeral trust investments) (Details) (USD $)	Sep. 30, 2014	Dec. 31, 2013
In Thousands, unless otherwise specified
Schedule of Trading Securities and Other Trading Assets [Line Items]	'	'
Preneed funeral trust investments	$98,525	$97,144
Preneed Funeral Trust Investments [Member]	'	'
Schedule of Trading Securities and Other Trading Assets [Line Items]	'	'
Preneed funeral trust investments, at fair value	101,480	100,005
Less: allowance for contract cancellation	-2,955	-2,861
Preneed funeral trust investments	$98,525	$97,144

Preneed_Trust_Investments_Cost1

Preneed Trust Investments (Cost and fair market values associated with preneed funeral trust investments) (Details) (USD $)	3 Months Ended
	Sep. 30, 2014	Dec. 31, 2013
Schedule of Trading Securities and Other Trading Assets [Line Items]	'	'
Impairment charge, other than temporary decline in fair value of investments	$382,755	'
Preneed Cemetery Trust Investments [Member]	'	'
Schedule of Trading Securities and Other Trading Assets [Line Items]	'	'
Cost	73,290,000	68,145,000
Unrealized Gains	4,202,000	3,072,000
Available-for-sale Securities, Gross Unrealized Loss1	-3,237,000	-1,693,000
Fair Market Value	74,255,000	69,524,000
Preneed cemetery trust investments	75,271,000	70,386,000
Fair market value as a percentage of cost	101.30%	102.00%
Impairment charge, other than temporary decline in fair value of investments	200,000	'
Preneed Cemetery Trust Investments [Member] | Cash and Money Market Accounts [Member]	'	'
Schedule of Trading Securities and Other Trading Assets [Line Items]	'	'
Cost	2,428,000	1,541,000
Unrealized Gains	0	0
Available-for-sale Securities, Gross Unrealized Loss1	0	0
Preneed Cemetery Trust Investments [Member] | Cash and Money Market Accounts [Member] | Fair Value, Inputs, Level 1 [Member]	'	'
Schedule of Trading Securities and Other Trading Assets [Line Items]	'	'
Fair Market Value	2,428,000	1,541,000
Preneed Cemetery Trust Investments [Member] | Foreign Government Debt Securities [Member]	'	'
Schedule of Trading Securities and Other Trading Assets [Line Items]	'	'
Cost	4,945,000	3,460,000
Unrealized Gains	91,000	146,000
Available-for-sale Securities, Gross Unrealized Loss1	-102,000	-3,000
Preneed Cemetery Trust Investments [Member] | Foreign Government Debt Securities [Member] | Fair Value, Inputs, Level 2 [Member]	'	'
Schedule of Trading Securities and Other Trading Assets [Line Items]	'	'
Fair Market Value	4,934,000	3,603,000
Preneed Cemetery Trust Investments [Member] | Corporate Debt [Member]	'	'
Schedule of Trading Securities and Other Trading Assets [Line Items]	'	'
Cost	30,384,000	32,958,000
Unrealized Gains	433,000	386,000
Available-for-sale Securities, Gross Unrealized Loss1	-1,984,000	-1,150,000
Preneed Cemetery Trust Investments [Member] | Corporate Debt [Member] | Fair Value, Inputs, Level 2 [Member]	'	'
Schedule of Trading Securities and Other Trading Assets [Line Items]	'	'
Fair Market Value	28,833,000	32,194,000
Preneed Cemetery Trust Investments [Member] | Preferred Stock [Member]	'	'
Schedule of Trading Securities and Other Trading Assets [Line Items]	'	'
Cost	18,432,000	17,754,000
Unrealized Gains	647,000	178,000
Available-for-sale Securities, Gross Unrealized Loss1	-203,000	-273,000
Preneed Cemetery Trust Investments [Member] | Preferred Stock [Member] | Fair Value, Inputs, Level 2 [Member]	'	'
Schedule of Trading Securities and Other Trading Assets [Line Items]	'	'
Fair Market Value	18,876,000	17,659,000
Preneed Cemetery Trust Investments [Member] | Mortgage Backed Securities [Member]	'	'
Schedule of Trading Securities and Other Trading Assets [Line Items]	'	'
Cost	1,000	1,000
Unrealized Gains	0	0
Available-for-sale Securities, Gross Unrealized Loss1	0	0
Preneed Cemetery Trust Investments [Member] | Mortgage Backed Securities [Member] | Fair Value, Inputs, Level 2 [Member]	'	'
Schedule of Trading Securities and Other Trading Assets [Line Items]	'	'
Fair Market Value	1,000	1,000
Preneed Cemetery Trust Investments [Member] | Common Stock	'	'
Schedule of Trading Securities and Other Trading Assets [Line Items]	'	'
Cost	16,756,000	12,431,000
Unrealized Gains	3,019,000	2,362,000
Available-for-sale Securities, Gross Unrealized Loss1	-948,000	-267,000
Preneed Cemetery Trust Investments [Member] | Common Stock | Fair Value, Inputs, Level 1 [Member]	'	'
Schedule of Trading Securities and Other Trading Assets [Line Items]	'	'
Fair Market Value	18,827,000	14,526,000
Preneed Cemetery Trust Investments [Member] | Accrued Investment Income [Member]	'	'
Schedule of Trading Securities and Other Trading Assets [Line Items]	'	'
Cost	1,016,000	862,000
Fair Market Value	1,016,000	862,000
Preneed Funeral Trust Investments [Member]	'	'
Schedule of Trading Securities and Other Trading Assets [Line Items]	'	'
Cost	98,502,000	95,367,000
Unrealized Gains	5,048,000	5,725,000
Available-for-sale Securities, Gross Unrealized Loss1	-2,894,000	-1,766,000
Fair Market Value	100,656,000	99,326,000
Preneed cemetery trust investments	101,480,000	100,005,000
Fair market value as a percentage of cost	102.20%	104.20%
Impairment charge, other than temporary decline in fair value of investments	100,000	'
Preneed Funeral Trust Investments [Member] | Cash and Money Market Accounts [Member]	'	'
Schedule of Trading Securities and Other Trading Assets [Line Items]	'	'
Cost	14,018,000	14,631,000
Unrealized Gains	0	0
Available-for-sale Securities, Gross Unrealized Loss1	0	0
Preneed Funeral Trust Investments [Member] | Cash and Money Market Accounts [Member] | Fair Value, Inputs, Level 1 [Member]	'	'
Schedule of Trading Securities and Other Trading Assets [Line Items]	'	'
Fair Market Value	14,018,000	14,631,000
Preneed Funeral Trust Investments [Member] | U.S. Treasury Debt [Member]	'	'
Schedule of Trading Securities and Other Trading Assets [Line Items]	'	'
Cost	2,602,000	2,212,000
Unrealized Gains	34,000	47,000
Available-for-sale Securities, Gross Unrealized Loss1	-34,000	-54,000
Preneed Funeral Trust Investments [Member] | U.S. Treasury Debt [Member] | Fair Value, Inputs, Level 1 [Member]	'	'
Schedule of Trading Securities and Other Trading Assets [Line Items]	'	'
Fair Market Value	2,602,000	2,205,000
Preneed Funeral Trust Investments [Member] | U.S. Agency Obligations [Member]	'	'
Schedule of Trading Securities and Other Trading Assets [Line Items]	'	'
Cost	31,000	401,000
Unrealized Gains	0	8,000
Available-for-sale Securities, Gross Unrealized Loss1	-1,000	-7,000
Preneed Funeral Trust Investments [Member] | U.S. Agency Obligations [Member] | Fair Value, Inputs, Level 1 [Member]	'	'
Schedule of Trading Securities and Other Trading Assets [Line Items]	'	'
Fair Market Value	30,000	402,000
Preneed Funeral Trust Investments [Member] | Foreign Government Debt Securities [Member]	'	'
Schedule of Trading Securities and Other Trading Assets [Line Items]	'	'
Cost	3,961,000	2,726,000
Unrealized Gains	73,000	115,000
Available-for-sale Securities, Gross Unrealized Loss1	-82,000	-2,000
Preneed Funeral Trust Investments [Member] | Foreign Government Debt Securities [Member] | Fair Value, Inputs, Level 2 [Member]	'	'
Schedule of Trading Securities and Other Trading Assets [Line Items]	'	'
Fair Market Value	3,952,000	2,839,000
Preneed Funeral Trust Investments [Member] | Corporate Debt [Member]	'	'
Schedule of Trading Securities and Other Trading Assets [Line Items]	'	'
Cost	25,294,000	27,993,000
Unrealized Gains	527,000	375,000
Available-for-sale Securities, Gross Unrealized Loss1	-1,595,000	-957,000
Preneed Funeral Trust Investments [Member] | Corporate Debt [Member] | Fair Value, Inputs, Level 2 [Member]	'	'
Schedule of Trading Securities and Other Trading Assets [Line Items]	'	'
Fair Market Value	24,226,000	27,411,000
Preneed Funeral Trust Investments [Member] | Preferred Stock [Member]	'	'
Schedule of Trading Securities and Other Trading Assets [Line Items]	'	'
Cost	15,777,000	15,949,000
Unrealized Gains	588,000	292,000
Available-for-sale Securities, Gross Unrealized Loss1	-163,000	-282,000
Preneed Funeral Trust Investments [Member] | Preferred Stock [Member] | Fair Value, Inputs, Level 2 [Member]	'	'
Schedule of Trading Securities and Other Trading Assets [Line Items]	'	'
Fair Market Value	16,202,000	15,959,000
Preneed Funeral Trust Investments [Member] | Mortgage Backed Securities [Member]	'	'
Schedule of Trading Securities and Other Trading Assets [Line Items]	'	'
Cost	323,000	1,000
Unrealized Gains	9,000	0
Available-for-sale Securities, Gross Unrealized Loss1	-3,000	0
Preneed Funeral Trust Investments [Member] | Mortgage Backed Securities [Member] | Fair Value, Inputs, Level 2 [Member]	'	'
Schedule of Trading Securities and Other Trading Assets [Line Items]	'	'
Fair Market Value	329,000	1,000
Preneed Funeral Trust Investments [Member] | Common Stock	'	'
Schedule of Trading Securities and Other Trading Assets [Line Items]	'	'
Cost	13,611,000	10,681,000
Unrealized Gains	2,475,000	2,092,000
Available-for-sale Securities, Gross Unrealized Loss1	-782,000	-237,000
Preneed Funeral Trust Investments [Member] | Common Stock | Fair Value, Inputs, Level 1 [Member]	'	'
Schedule of Trading Securities and Other Trading Assets [Line Items]	'	'
Fair Market Value	15,304,000	12,536,000
Preneed Funeral Trust Investments [Member] | Equity [Member]	'	'
Schedule of Trading Securities and Other Trading Assets [Line Items]	'	'
Cost	13,991,000	11,632,000
Unrealized Gains	1,237,000	2,708,000
Available-for-sale Securities, Gross Unrealized Loss1	-118,000	-22,000
Preneed Funeral Trust Investments [Member] | Equity [Member] | Fair Value, Inputs, Level 1 [Member]	'	'
Schedule of Trading Securities and Other Trading Assets [Line Items]	'	'
Fair Market Value	15,110,000	14,318,000
Preneed Funeral Trust Investments [Member] | Fixed Income [Member]	'	'
Schedule of Trading Securities and Other Trading Assets [Line Items]	'	'
Cost	5,280,000	5,455,000
Unrealized Gains	105,000	88,000
Available-for-sale Securities, Gross Unrealized Loss1	-85,000	-179,000
Preneed Funeral Trust Investments [Member] | Fixed Income [Member] | Fair Value, Inputs, Level 2 [Member]	'	'
Schedule of Trading Securities and Other Trading Assets [Line Items]	'	'
Fair Market Value	5,300,000	5,364,000
Preneed Funeral Trust Investments [Member] | Other Investments [Member]	'	'
Schedule of Trading Securities and Other Trading Assets [Line Items]	'	'
Cost	3,614,000	3,686,000
Unrealized Gains	0	0
Available-for-sale Securities, Gross Unrealized Loss1	-31,000	-26,000
Preneed Funeral Trust Investments [Member] | Other Investments [Member] | Fair Value, Inputs, Level 2 [Member]	'	'
Schedule of Trading Securities and Other Trading Assets [Line Items]	'	'
Fair Market Value	3,583,000	3,660,000
Preneed Funeral Trust Investments [Member] | Accrued Investment Income [Member]	'	'
Schedule of Trading Securities and Other Trading Assets [Line Items]	'	'
Cost	824,000	679,000
Fair Market Value	$824,000	$679,000

Preneed_Trust_Investments_Esti1

Preneed Trust Investments (Estimated maturities of fixed preneed funeral trust income securities) (Details) (Preneed Funeral Trust Investments [Member], USD $)	Sep. 30, 2014
In Thousands, unless otherwise specified
Preneed Funeral Trust Investments [Member]	'
Schedule of Trading Securities and Other Trading Assets [Line Items]	'
Due in one year or less	$855
Due in one to five years	6,162
Due in five to ten years	7,013
Thereafter	33,311
Total	$47,341

Preneed_Trust_Investments_Pren1

Preneed Trust Investments (Preneed funeral trust investment security transactions) (Details) (Preneed Funeral Trust Investments [Member], Interest Income and Other, Net [Member], USD $)	3 Months Ended		9 Months Ended
In Thousands, unless otherwise specified	Sep. 30, 2014	Sep. 30, 2013	Sep. 30, 2014	Sep. 30, 2013
Preneed Funeral Trust Investments [Member] | Interest Income and Other, Net [Member]	'	'	'	'
Schedule of Trading Securities and Other Trading Assets [Line Items]	'	'	'	'
Investment income	$576	$709	$2,067	$2,232
Realized gains	1,605	942	5,036	7,156
Realized losses	-105	-111	-841	-5,664
Expenses and taxes	-260	-269	-1,158	-1,324
Decrease in deferred preneed funeral receipts held in trust	($1,816)	($1,271)	($5,104)	($2,400)

Preneed_Trust_Investments_Purc1

Preneed Trust Investments (Purchases and sales of investments in preneed funeral trusts) (Details) (Preneed Funeral Trust Investments [Member], USD $)	3 Months Ended		9 Months Ended
In Thousands, unless otherwise specified	Sep. 30, 2014	Sep. 30, 2013	Sep. 30, 2014	Sep. 30, 2013
Preneed Funeral Trust Investments [Member]	'	'	'	'
Schedule of Trading Securities and Other Trading Assets [Line Items]	'	'	'	'
Purchases	($14,630)	($17,266)	($44,147)	($28,355)
Sales	$14,691	$15,697	$44,840	$29,924

Preneed_Trust_Investments_Unre1

Preneed Trust Investments (Unrealized losses on preneed funeral trust investments) (Details) (Preneed Funeral Trust Investments [Member], USD $)	9 Months Ended	12 Months Ended
In Thousands, unless otherwise specified	Sep. 30, 2014	Dec. 31, 2013
Gain (Loss) on Investments [Line Items]	'	'
Available-for-sale Securities, Continuous Unrealized Loss Position, Less than Twelve Months, Fair Value	$42,923	$22,303
Available-for-sale Securities, Continuous Unrealized Loss Position, Less than 12 Months, Aggregate Losses	-1,798	-952
Available-for-sale Securities, Continuous Unrealized Loss Position, Twelve Months or Longer, Fair Value	12,144	3,952
Available-for-sale Securities, Continuous Unrealized Loss Position, 12 Months or Longer, Aggregate Losses	-1,096	-814
Available-for-sale Securities, Continuous Unrealized Loss Position, Fair Value	55,067	26,255
Available-for-sale Securities, Continuous Unrealized Loss Position, Aggregate Losses	-2,894	-1,766
US States and Political Subdivisions Debt Securities [Member]	'	'
Gain (Loss) on Investments [Line Items]	'	'
Available-for-sale Securities, Continuous Unrealized Loss Position, Less than Twelve Months, Fair Value	1,320	0
Available-for-sale Securities, Continuous Unrealized Loss Position, Less than 12 Months, Aggregate Losses	-6	0
Available-for-sale Securities, Continuous Unrealized Loss Position, Twelve Months or Longer, Fair Value	822	816
Available-for-sale Securities, Continuous Unrealized Loss Position, 12 Months or Longer, Aggregate Losses	-29	-54
Available-for-sale Securities, Continuous Unrealized Loss Position, Fair Value	2,142	816
Available-for-sale Securities, Continuous Unrealized Loss Position, Aggregate Losses	-35	-54
US agency obligations [Member]	'	'
Gain (Loss) on Investments [Line Items]	'	'
Available-for-sale Securities, Continuous Unrealized Loss Position, Less than Twelve Months, Fair Value	30	0
Available-for-sale Securities, Continuous Unrealized Loss Position, Less than 12 Months, Aggregate Losses	0	0
Available-for-sale Securities, Continuous Unrealized Loss Position, Twelve Months or Longer, Fair Value	0	211
Available-for-sale Securities, Continuous Unrealized Loss Position, 12 Months or Longer, Aggregate Losses	0	-7
Available-for-sale Securities, Continuous Unrealized Loss Position, Fair Value	30	211
Available-for-sale Securities, Continuous Unrealized Loss Position, Aggregate Losses	0	-7
Foreign Debt [Member]	'	'
Gain (Loss) on Investments [Line Items]	'	'
Available-for-sale Securities, Continuous Unrealized Loss Position, Less than Twelve Months, Fair Value	3,234	632
Available-for-sale Securities, Continuous Unrealized Loss Position, Less than 12 Months, Aggregate Losses	-82	-2
Available-for-sale Securities, Continuous Unrealized Loss Position, Twelve Months or Longer, Fair Value	0	0
Available-for-sale Securities, Continuous Unrealized Loss Position, 12 Months or Longer, Aggregate Losses	0	0
Available-for-sale Securities, Continuous Unrealized Loss Position, Fair Value	3,234	632
Available-for-sale Securities, Continuous Unrealized Loss Position, Aggregate Losses	-82	-2
Corporate Debt [Member]	'	'
Gain (Loss) on Investments [Line Items]	'	'
Available-for-sale Securities, Continuous Unrealized Loss Position, Less than Twelve Months, Fair Value	15,519	9,620
Available-for-sale Securities, Continuous Unrealized Loss Position, Less than 12 Months, Aggregate Losses	-680	-460
Available-for-sale Securities, Continuous Unrealized Loss Position, Twelve Months or Longer, Fair Value	1,787	640
Available-for-sale Securities, Continuous Unrealized Loss Position, 12 Months or Longer, Aggregate Losses	-914	-497
Available-for-sale Securities, Continuous Unrealized Loss Position, Fair Value	17,306	10,260
Available-for-sale Securities, Continuous Unrealized Loss Position, Aggregate Losses	-1,594	-957
Preferred Stock [Member]	'	'
Gain (Loss) on Investments [Line Items]	'	'
Available-for-sale Securities, Continuous Unrealized Loss Position, Less than Twelve Months, Fair Value	5,195	9,918
Available-for-sale Securities, Continuous Unrealized Loss Position, Less than 12 Months, Aggregate Losses	-154	-282
Available-for-sale Securities, Continuous Unrealized Loss Position, Twelve Months or Longer, Fair Value	2,606	0
Available-for-sale Securities, Continuous Unrealized Loss Position, 12 Months or Longer, Aggregate Losses	-10	0
Available-for-sale Securities, Continuous Unrealized Loss Position, Fair Value	7,801	9,918
Available-for-sale Securities, Continuous Unrealized Loss Position, Aggregate Losses	-164	-282
Collateralized Mortgage Backed Securities [Member]	'	'
Gain (Loss) on Investments [Line Items]	'	'
Available-for-sale Securities, Continuous Unrealized Loss Position, Less than Twelve Months, Fair Value	0	'
Available-for-sale Securities, Continuous Unrealized Loss Position, Less than 12 Months, Aggregate Losses	0	'
Available-for-sale Securities, Continuous Unrealized Loss Position, Twelve Months or Longer, Fair Value	63	'
Available-for-sale Securities, Continuous Unrealized Loss Position, 12 Months or Longer, Aggregate Losses	-3	'
Available-for-sale Securities, Continuous Unrealized Loss Position, Fair Value	63	'
Available-for-sale Securities, Continuous Unrealized Loss Position, Aggregate Losses	-3	'
Equity [Member]	'	'
Gain (Loss) on Investments [Line Items]	'	'
Available-for-sale Securities, Continuous Unrealized Loss Position, Less than Twelve Months, Fair Value	7,848	954
Available-for-sale Securities, Continuous Unrealized Loss Position, Less than 12 Months, Aggregate Losses	-751	-152
Available-for-sale Securities, Continuous Unrealized Loss Position, Twelve Months or Longer, Fair Value	67	626
Available-for-sale Securities, Continuous Unrealized Loss Position, 12 Months or Longer, Aggregate Losses	-31	-85
Available-for-sale Securities, Continuous Unrealized Loss Position, Fair Value	7,915	1,580
Available-for-sale Securities, Continuous Unrealized Loss Position, Aggregate Losses	-782	-237
Equity and Other [Member]	'	'
Gain (Loss) on Investments [Line Items]	'	'
Available-for-sale Securities, Continuous Unrealized Loss Position, Less than Twelve Months, Fair Value	9,315	314
Available-for-sale Securities, Continuous Unrealized Loss Position, Less than 12 Months, Aggregate Losses	-116	-13
Available-for-sale Securities, Continuous Unrealized Loss Position, Twelve Months or Longer, Fair Value	1,917	195
Available-for-sale Securities, Continuous Unrealized Loss Position, 12 Months or Longer, Aggregate Losses	-2	-9
Available-for-sale Securities, Continuous Unrealized Loss Position, Fair Value	11,232	509
Available-for-sale Securities, Continuous Unrealized Loss Position, Aggregate Losses	-118	-22
Fixed Income [Member]	'	'
Gain (Loss) on Investments [Line Items]	'	'
Available-for-sale Securities, Continuous Unrealized Loss Position, Less than Twelve Months, Fair Value	462	865
Available-for-sale Securities, Continuous Unrealized Loss Position, Less than 12 Months, Aggregate Losses	-9	-43
Available-for-sale Securities, Continuous Unrealized Loss Position, Twelve Months or Longer, Fair Value	4,838	1,420
Available-for-sale Securities, Continuous Unrealized Loss Position, 12 Months or Longer, Aggregate Losses	-76	-136
Available-for-sale Securities, Continuous Unrealized Loss Position, Fair Value	5,300	2,285
Available-for-sale Securities, Continuous Unrealized Loss Position, Aggregate Losses	-85	-179
Other Investments [Member]	'	'
Gain (Loss) on Investments [Line Items]	'	'
Available-for-sale Securities, Continuous Unrealized Loss Position, Less than Twelve Months, Fair Value	0	0
Available-for-sale Securities, Continuous Unrealized Loss Position, Less than 12 Months, Aggregate Losses	0	0
Available-for-sale Securities, Continuous Unrealized Loss Position, Twelve Months or Longer, Fair Value	44	44
Available-for-sale Securities, Continuous Unrealized Loss Position, 12 Months or Longer, Aggregate Losses	-31	-26
Available-for-sale Securities, Continuous Unrealized Loss Position, Fair Value	44	44
Available-for-sale Securities, Continuous Unrealized Loss Position, Aggregate Losses	($31)	($26)

Preneed_Cemetery_Receivables_N

Preneed Cemetery Receivables (Narrative) (Details) (USD $)	9 Months Ended
In Millions, unless otherwise specified	Sep. 30, 2014	Dec. 31, 2013
Preneed Cemetery Receivables [Abstract]	'	'
Term of sales contract for cemetery interment rights, maximum (in Duration)	'5 years	'
Balance of receivables for preneed cemetery interment rights	$23.50	'
Balance of receivables for preneed cemetery interment related products and services	9.3	'
Amount of receivables for preneed cemetery interment rights and related products and services presented in accounts receivables	10.2	'
Amount of receivables for preneed cemetery interment rights and related products and services presented in preneed receivables	22.6	'
Unearned finance charges associated with receivables	$4.40	$3.80
Past due notifications starting date (in Days)	'15 days	'
Accounts receivable allowance percentage on contracts past due 120 days or more (in Percent)	100.00%	'
Number of days past due contractual payments are when they are provided for with a one hundred percent allowance (in Days)	'90 days	'
Percent of total receivables which are 120 days or more past due (in Percent)	5.90%	'

Preneed_Cemetery_Receivables_P

Preneed Cemetery Receivables (Preneed cemetery receivables) (Details) (USD $)	3 Months Ended		9 Months Ended
In Thousands, unless otherwise specified	Sep. 30, 2014	Sep. 30, 2013	Sep. 30, 2014	Sep. 30, 2013
Allowance for Contract Cancellations [Roll Forward]	'	'	'	'
Provision	($775)	($492)	($2,113)	($1,274)
Preneed Cemetery Receivables [Member]	'	'	'	'
Allowance for Contract Cancellations [Roll Forward]	'	'	'	'
Beginning balance	'	'	1,347	'
Write-offs and cancellations	'	'	-959	'
Provision	'	'	-1,414	'
Ending balance	$1,802	'	$1,802	'

Preneed_Cemetery_Receivables_A

Preneed Cemetery Receivables (Aging of past due financing receivables) (Details) (USD $)	Sep. 30, 2014	Dec. 31, 2013
In Thousands, unless otherwise specified
Financing Receivable Recorded Investment Past Due [Line Items]	'	'
31-60 days Past Due	$1,163	$1,250
61-90 days Past Due	604	563
91-120 days Past Due	421	351
More than 120 days Past Due	1,669	954
Total Past Due	3,857	3,118
Current	28,923	26,518
Total Financing Receivables	32,780	29,636
Recognized Revenue [Member]	'	'
Financing Receivable Recorded Investment Past Due [Line Items]	'	'
31-60 days Past Due	816	895
61-90 days Past Due	421	372
91-120 days Past Due	263	266
More than 120 days Past Due	1,113	683
Total Past Due	2,613	2,216
Current	20,555	18,628
Total Financing Receivables	23,168	20,844
Deferred Revenue [Member]	'	'
Financing Receivable Recorded Investment Past Due [Line Items]	'	'
31-60 days Past Due	347	355
61-90 days Past Due	183	191
91-120 days Past Due	158	85
More than 120 days Past Due	556	271
Total Past Due	1,244	902
Current	8,368	7,890
Total Financing Receivables	$9,612	$8,792

Receivables_from_Preneed_Trust2

Receivables from Preneed Trusts (Narrative) (Details)	9 Months Ended
	Sep. 30, 2014
Receivables From Preneed Trusts [Abstract]	'
Amount at which there is no controlling interest in trust assets (Description)	'less than 50%

Receivables_from_Preneed_Trust3

Receivables from Preneed Trusts (Receivables from preneed funeral trust funds) (Details) (USD $)	Sep. 30, 2014	Dec. 31, 2013
In Thousands, unless otherwise specified
Receivables From Preneed Trusts [Abstract]	'	'
Preneed trust funds, at cost	$12,631	$11,511
Less: Allowance for contract cancellation	-379	-345
Receivables from preneed trusts, net	$12,252	$11,166

Receivables_from_Preneed_Trust4

Receivables from Preneed Trusts Receivables from Preneed Trusts (Composition of Assets Held in Trusts) (Details) (USD $)	Sep. 30, 2014	Dec. 31, 2013
In Thousands, unless otherwise specified
Historical Cost Basis [Member]	'	'
Accounts, Notes, Loans and Financing Receivable [Line Items]	'	'
Assets held-in-trust	$12,631	$11,511
Historical Cost Basis [Member] | Cash and cash equivalents [Member]	'	'
Accounts, Notes, Loans and Financing Receivable [Line Items]	'	'
Assets held-in-trust	2,834	2,657
Historical Cost Basis [Member] | Fixed income investments [Member]	'	'
Accounts, Notes, Loans and Financing Receivable [Line Items]	'	'
Assets held-in-trust	7,344	6,344
Historical Cost Basis [Member] | Mutual funds and common stocks [Member]	'	'
Accounts, Notes, Loans and Financing Receivable [Line Items]	'	'
Assets held-in-trust	2,429	2,484
Historical Cost Basis [Member] | Annuities [Member]	'	'
Accounts, Notes, Loans and Financing Receivable [Line Items]	'	'
Assets held-in-trust	24	26
Fair Value [Member]	'	'
Accounts, Notes, Loans and Financing Receivable [Line Items]	'	'
Assets held-in-trust	12,730	11,599
Fair Value [Member] | Cash and cash equivalents [Member]	'	'
Accounts, Notes, Loans and Financing Receivable [Line Items]	'	'
Assets held-in-trust	2,834	2,657
Fair Value [Member] | Fixed income investments [Member]	'	'
Accounts, Notes, Loans and Financing Receivable [Line Items]	'	'
Assets held-in-trust	7,364	6,355
Fair Value [Member] | Mutual funds and common stocks [Member]	'	'
Accounts, Notes, Loans and Financing Receivable [Line Items]	'	'
Assets held-in-trust	2,508	2,561
Fair Value [Member] | Annuities [Member]	'	'
Accounts, Notes, Loans and Financing Receivable [Line Items]	'	'
Assets held-in-trust	$24	$26

Contracts_Secured_by_Insurance1

Contracts Secured by Insurance (Narrative) (Details) (USD $)	Sep. 30, 2014	Dec. 31, 2013
In Millions, unless otherwise specified
Contracts Secured by Insurance [Abstract]	'	'
Preneed funeral contracts secured by insurance	$313.20	$289.90

Cemetery_Perpetual_Care_Trust_2

Cemetery Perpetual Care Trust Investments (The Components of Care trusts' corpus) (Details) (USD $)	3 Months Ended	9 Months Ended
	Mar. 31, 2014	Sep. 30, 2014	Dec. 31, 2013
Schedule of Trading Securities and Other Trading Assets [Line Items]	'	'	'
Care trusts’ corpus	'	$50,203,000	$41,893,000
Fair value measurements, transfers between Level 1 and Level 2	400,000	0	'
Perpetual Care Trust Invesments [Member]	'	'	'
Schedule of Trading Securities and Other Trading Assets [Line Items]	'	'	'
Trust assets, at fair value	'	50,234,000	42,342,000
Obligations due from trust	'	-31,000	-449,000
Care trusts’ corpus	'	$50,203,000	$41,893,000

Cemetery_Perpetual_Care_Trust_3

Cemetery Perpetual Care Trust Investments (Cost and fair market values associated with the trust investments held in perpetual care trust funds) (Details) (USD $)	3 Months Ended
	Sep. 30, 2014	Dec. 31, 2013
Schedule of Trading Securities and Other Trading Assets [Line Items]	'	'
Impairment charge, other than temporary decline in fair value of investments	$382,755	'
Perpetual Care Trust Invesments [Member]	'	'
Schedule of Trading Securities and Other Trading Assets [Line Items]	'	'
Cemetary perpetual care trust investments	50,234,000	42,342,000
Fair market value as a percentage of cost	101.40%	102.00%
Impairment charge, other than temporary decline in fair value of investments	100,000	'
Perpetual Care Trust Invesments [Member] | Cash and Money Market Accounts [Member]	'	'
Schedule of Trading Securities and Other Trading Assets [Line Items]	'	'
Cost	999,000	973,000
Unrealized Gains	0	0
Unrealized Losses	0	0
Perpetual Care Trust Invesments [Member] | Cash and Money Market Accounts [Member] | Fair Value, Inputs, Level 1 [Member]	'	'
Schedule of Trading Securities and Other Trading Assets [Line Items]	'	'
Fair Market Value	999,000	973,000
Perpetual Care Trust Invesments [Member] | Municipal Bonds [Member]	'	'
Schedule of Trading Securities and Other Trading Assets [Line Items]	'	'
Cost	231,000	'
Unrealized Gains	8,000	'
Unrealized Losses	0	'
Perpetual Care Trust Invesments [Member] | Municipal Bonds [Member] | Fair Value, Inputs, Level 2 [Member]	'	'
Schedule of Trading Securities and Other Trading Assets [Line Items]	'	'
Fair Market Value	239,000	'
Perpetual Care Trust Invesments [Member] | Foreign Government Debt Securities [Member]	'	'
Schedule of Trading Securities and Other Trading Assets [Line Items]	'	'
Cost	3,323,000	2,062,000
Unrealized Gains	62,000	87,000
Unrealized Losses	-69,000	-2,000
Perpetual Care Trust Invesments [Member] | Foreign Government Debt Securities [Member] | Fair Value, Inputs, Level 2 [Member]	'	'
Schedule of Trading Securities and Other Trading Assets [Line Items]	'	'
Fair Market Value	3,316,000	2,147,000
Perpetual Care Trust Invesments [Member] | Corporate Debt [Member]	'	'
Schedule of Trading Securities and Other Trading Assets [Line Items]	'	'
Cost	20,547,000	19,773,000
Unrealized Gains	300,000	236,000
Unrealized Losses	-1,338,000	-691,000
Perpetual Care Trust Invesments [Member] | Corporate Debt [Member] | Fair Value, Inputs, Level 2 [Member]	'	'
Schedule of Trading Securities and Other Trading Assets [Line Items]	'	'
Fair Market Value	19,509,000	19,318,000
Perpetual Care Trust Invesments [Member] | Preferred Stock [Member]	'	'
Schedule of Trading Securities and Other Trading Assets [Line Items]	'	'
Cost	12,474,000	10,668,000
Unrealized Gains	440,000	110,000
Unrealized Losses	-137,000	-165,000
Perpetual Care Trust Invesments [Member] | Preferred Stock [Member] | Fair Value, Inputs, Level 2 [Member]	'	'
Schedule of Trading Securities and Other Trading Assets [Line Items]	'	'
Fair Market Value	12,777,000	10,613,000
Perpetual Care Trust Invesments [Member] | Mortgage Backed Securities [Member]	'	'
Schedule of Trading Securities and Other Trading Assets [Line Items]	'	'
Cost	1,000	'
Unrealized Gains	0	'
Unrealized Losses	0	'
Perpetual Care Trust Invesments [Member] | Mortgage Backed Securities [Member] | Fair Value, Inputs, Level 2 [Member]	'	'
Schedule of Trading Securities and Other Trading Assets [Line Items]	'	'
Fair Market Value	1,000	'
Perpetual Care Trust Invesments [Member] | Common Stock	'	'
Schedule of Trading Securities and Other Trading Assets [Line Items]	'	'
Cost	11,310,000	7,539,000
Unrealized Gains	2,042,000	1,417,000
Unrealized Losses	-644,000	-178,000
Perpetual Care Trust Invesments [Member] | Common Stock | Fair Value, Inputs, Level 1 [Member]	'	'
Schedule of Trading Securities and Other Trading Assets [Line Items]	'	'
Fair Market Value	12,708,000	8,778,000
Perpetual Care Trust Invesments [Member] | Trust Securities [Member]	'	'
Schedule of Trading Securities and Other Trading Assets [Line Items]	'	'
Cost	48,885,000	41,015,000
Unrealized Gains	2,852,000	1,850,000
Unrealized Losses	-2,188,000	-1,036,000
Fair Market Value	49,549,000	41,829,000
Perpetual Care Trust Invesments [Member] | Accrued Investment Income [Member]	'	'
Schedule of Trading Securities and Other Trading Assets [Line Items]	'	'
Cost	685,000	513,000
Fair Market Value	$685,000	$513,000

Cemetery_Perpetual_Care_Trust_4

Cemetery Perpetual Care Trust Investments (Estimated maturities of fixed perpetual care trust income securities) (Details) (Perpetual Care Trust Invesments [Member], USD $)	Sep. 30, 2014
In Thousands, unless otherwise specified
Perpetual Care Trust Invesments [Member]	'
Schedule of Trading Securities and Other Trading Assets [Line Items]	'
Due in one year or less	$0
Due in one to five years	4,261
Due in five to ten years	5,185
Thereafter	26,396
Total	$35,842

Cemetery_Perpetual_Care_Trust_5

Cemetery Perpetual Care Trust Investments (Unrealized losses on perpetual care trust investments) (Details) (Perpetual Care Trust Invesments [Member], USD $)	9 Months Ended	12 Months Ended
In Thousands, unless otherwise specified	Sep. 30, 2014	Dec. 31, 2013
Gain (Loss) on Investments [Line Items]	'	'
Available-for-sale Securities, Continuous Unrealized Loss Position, Less than Twelve Months, Fair Value	$26,548	$13,953
Available-for-sale Securities, Continuous Unrealized Loss Position, Less than 12 Months, Aggregate Losses	-1,387	-613
Available-for-sale Securities, Continuous Unrealized Loss Position, Twelve Months or Longer, Fair Value	3,736	932
Available-for-sale Securities, Continuous Unrealized Loss Position, 12 Months or Longer, Aggregate Losses	-801	-423
Available-for-sale Securities, Continuous Unrealized Loss Position, Fair Value	30,284	14,885
Available-for-sale Securities, Continuous Unrealized Loss Position, Aggregate Losses	-2,188	-1,036
Foreign Debt [Member]	'	'
Gain (Loss) on Investments [Line Items]	'	'
Available-for-sale Securities, Continuous Unrealized Loss Position, Less than Twelve Months, Fair Value	2,714	478
Available-for-sale Securities, Continuous Unrealized Loss Position, Less than 12 Months, Aggregate Losses	-69	-2
Available-for-sale Securities, Continuous Unrealized Loss Position, Twelve Months or Longer, Fair Value	0	0
Available-for-sale Securities, Continuous Unrealized Loss Position, 12 Months or Longer, Aggregate Losses	0	0
Available-for-sale Securities, Continuous Unrealized Loss Position, Fair Value	2,714	478
Available-for-sale Securities, Continuous Unrealized Loss Position, Aggregate Losses	-69	-2
Corporate Debt [Member]	'	'
Gain (Loss) on Investments [Line Items]	'	'
Available-for-sale Securities, Continuous Unrealized Loss Position, Less than Twelve Months, Fair Value	13,025	6,948
Available-for-sale Securities, Continuous Unrealized Loss Position, Less than 12 Months, Aggregate Losses	-571	-332
Available-for-sale Securities, Continuous Unrealized Loss Position, Twelve Months or Longer, Fair Value	1,500	462
Available-for-sale Securities, Continuous Unrealized Loss Position, 12 Months or Longer, Aggregate Losses	-767	-359
Available-for-sale Securities, Continuous Unrealized Loss Position, Fair Value	14,525	7,410
Available-for-sale Securities, Continuous Unrealized Loss Position, Aggregate Losses	-1,338	-691
Common Stock [Member]	'	'
Gain (Loss) on Investments [Line Items]	'	'
Available-for-sale Securities, Continuous Unrealized Loss Position, Less than Twelve Months, Fair Value	6,460	716
Available-for-sale Securities, Continuous Unrealized Loss Position, Less than 12 Months, Aggregate Losses	-618	-114
Available-for-sale Securities, Continuous Unrealized Loss Position, Twelve Months or Longer, Fair Value	55	470
Available-for-sale Securities, Continuous Unrealized Loss Position, 12 Months or Longer, Aggregate Losses	-26	-64
Available-for-sale Securities, Continuous Unrealized Loss Position, Fair Value	6,515	1,186
Available-for-sale Securities, Continuous Unrealized Loss Position, Aggregate Losses	-644	-178
Preferred Stock [Member]	'	'
Gain (Loss) on Investments [Line Items]	'	'
Available-for-sale Securities, Continuous Unrealized Loss Position, Less than Twelve Months, Fair Value	4,349	5,811
Available-for-sale Securities, Continuous Unrealized Loss Position, Less than 12 Months, Aggregate Losses	-129	-165
Available-for-sale Securities, Continuous Unrealized Loss Position, Twelve Months or Longer, Fair Value	2,181	0
Available-for-sale Securities, Continuous Unrealized Loss Position, 12 Months or Longer, Aggregate Losses	-8	0
Available-for-sale Securities, Continuous Unrealized Loss Position, Fair Value	6,530	5,811
Available-for-sale Securities, Continuous Unrealized Loss Position, Aggregate Losses	($137)	($165)

Cemetery_Perpetual_Care_Trust_6

Cemetery Perpetual Care Trust Investments (Perpetual care trust investment security transactions recorded in interest income and other, net) (Details) (Perpetual Care Trust Invesments [Member], Interest Income and Other, Net [Member], USD $)	3 Months Ended		9 Months Ended
In Thousands, unless otherwise specified	Sep. 30, 2014	Sep. 30, 2013	Sep. 30, 2014	Sep. 30, 2013
Perpetual Care Trust Invesments [Member] | Interest Income and Other, Net [Member]	'	'	'	'
Schedule of Trading Securities and Other Trading Assets [Line Items]	'	'	'	'
Undistributable realized gains	$1,061	$634	$2,375	$1,721
Undistributable realized losses	-67	-72	-759	-470
Increase in Care trusts' corpus	($994)	($562)	($1,616)	($1,251)

Cemetery_Perpetual_Care_Trust_7

Cemetery Perpetual Care Trust Investments (Perpetual care trust investment security transactions recorded in Cemetery revenue) (Details) (Perpetual Care Trust Invesments [Member], Cemetery Revenue [Member], USD $)	3 Months Ended		9 Months Ended
In Thousands, unless otherwise specified	Sep. 30, 2014	Sep. 30, 2013	Sep. 30, 2014	Sep. 30, 2013
Perpetual Care Trust Invesments [Member] | Cemetery Revenue [Member]	'	'	'	'
Schedule of Trading Securities and Other Trading Assets [Line Items]	'	'	'	'
Investment income	$1,168	$1,382	$3,748	$3,852
Realized gains	495	-2	645	681
Total	$1,663	$1,380	$4,393	$4,533

Cemetery_Perpetual_Care_Trust_8

Cemetery Perpetual Care Trust Investments (Purchases and sales of investments in perpetual care trusts) (Details) (Perpetual Care Trust Invesments [Member], USD $)	3 Months Ended		9 Months Ended
In Thousands, unless otherwise specified	Sep. 30, 2014	Sep. 30, 2013	Sep. 30, 2014	Sep. 30, 2013
Perpetual Care Trust Invesments [Member]	'	'	'	'
Schedule of Trading Securities and Other Trading Assets [Line Items]	'	'	'	'
Purchases	($12,000)	($10,703)	($26,136)	($20,541)
Sales	$12,141	$9,400	$27,163	$21,195

Fair_Value_Measurements_Narrat

Fair Value Measurements (Narrative) (Details) (USD $)	Sep. 30, 2014
Fair Value, Assets and Liabilities Measured on Recurring and Nonrecurring Basis [Line Items]	'
Liabilities measured at fair value	$0

Deferred_Charges_and_Other_Non2

Deferred Charges and Other Non-Current Assets (Details) (USD $)

Sep. 30, 2014

Dec. 31, 2013

Sep. 30, 2014

Dec. 31, 2013

Sep. 30, 2014

Dec. 31, 2013

Mar. 31, 2014

Sep. 30, 2014

Dec. 31, 2013

Sep. 30, 2014

Dec. 31, 2013

Sep. 30, 2014

Sep. 30, 2013

Sep. 30, 2014

Sep. 30, 2013

Dec. 31, 2013

Sep. 30, 2014

Sep. 30, 2014

Tradenames [Member]

Tradenames [Member]

Debt, Excluding Convertible Junior Subordinated Debentures [Member]

Debt, Excluding Convertible Junior Subordinated Debentures [Member]

Convertible Junior Subordinated Debenture [Member]

Convertible Junior Subordinated Debenture [Member]

Convertible Junior Subordinated Debenture [Member]

Convertible Subordinated Notes [Member]

Convertible Subordinated Notes [Member]

Noncompete Agreements [Member]

Noncompete Agreements [Member]

Noncompete Agreements [Member]

Noncompete Agreements [Member]

Noncompete Agreements [Member]

Noncompete Agreements [Member]

Noncompete Agreements [Member]

Minimum [Member]

Maximum [Member]

Finite-Lived Intangible Assets [Line Items]

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

Finite-Lived Intangible Assets, Net

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

$1,174,000

'

$1,174,000

'

$1,299,000

'

'

Finite-Lived Intangible Assets, Accumulated Amortization

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

5,016,000

'

5,016,000

'

4,807,000

'

'

Deferred Finance Costs, Net

'

'

'

'

1,978,000

2,602,000

'

0

2,949,000

3,371,000

0

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

Accumulated Amortization of Noncurrent Deferred Finance Costs

'

'

'

'

2,594,000

1,252,000

'

0

1,095,000

138,000

0

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

Other Assets, Noncurrent

340,000

0

7,660,000

5,430,000

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

Deferred Costs and Other Assets

14,523,000

12,280,000

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

Finite-Lived Intangible Asset, Useful Life

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'1 year

'10 years

Amortization of Intangible Assets

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

69,400

19,800

279,000

59,000

'

'

'

Write off of unamortized origination costs

'

'

'

'

'

'

2,900,000

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

Notes payable, term

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'7 years

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

Increase to tradenames

'

'

$2,300,000

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

LongTerm_Debt_Longterm_Debt_Ta

Long-Term Debt (Long-term Debt Table) (Details) (USD $)	Sep. 30, 2014	Dec. 31, 2013
In Thousands, unless otherwise specified
Debt Instrument [Line Items]	'	'
Current maturities on long-term debt	($9,681)	($13,224)
Long-term debt, excluding current maturities	156,611	142,542
Secured Debt [Member] | Revolving Credit Facility [Member]	'	'
Debt Instrument [Line Items]	'	'
Carrying value of the liability component	'	36,900
Secured Debt [Member] | Term Loan [Member]	'	'
Debt Instrument [Line Items]	'	'
Carrying value of the liability component	122,656	117,000
Notes Payable, Other Payables [Member] | Acquisition Debt, Deferred Purchase Price [Member]	'	'
Debt Instrument [Line Items]	'	'
Carrying value of the liability component	$1,336	$1,866

LongTerm_Debt_Narrative_Detail

Long-Term Debt (Narrative) (Details) (USD $)

0 Months Ended

3 Months Ended

9 Months Ended

0 Months Ended

0 Months Ended

9 Months Ended

Apr. 14, 2014

Sep. 30, 2014

Sep. 30, 2013

Sep. 30, 2014

Sep. 30, 2013

Sep. 30, 2014

Apr. 14, 2014

Apr. 14, 2014

Sep. 30, 2014

Apr. 14, 2014

Sep. 30, 2014

Sep. 30, 2014

Sep. 30, 2014

Sep. 30, 2014

Sep. 30, 2014

Apr. 14, 2014

Sep. 30, 2014

Sep. 30, 2014

Sep. 30, 2014

Apr. 14, 2014

Apr. 13, 2014

Sep. 30, 2014

Feb. 27, 2014

Sep. 30, 2014

YTD [Member]

Term Number One [Member]

Term Number Two [Member]

Term Number Two [Member]

Term Number Three [Member]

Minimum [Member]

Maximum [Member]

Prime Rate [Member]

Libor [Member]

Ratio Maximum Per Covenant [Member]

Ratio Maximum Per Covenant [Member]

Ratio Minimum Per Covenant [Member]

Ratio Actual [Member]

Revolving Credit Facility [Member]

Revolving Credit Facility [Member]

Revolving Credit Facility [Member]

Revolving Credit Facility [Member]

Revolving Credit Facility [Member]

Term Loan

QTD [Member]

Senior Unsecured Debt [Member]

Debt Covenant To Actual Ratios [Line Items]

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

Revolving credit facility, maximum borrowing capacity

'

$325,000,000

'

$325,000,000

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

$200,000,000

$200,000,000

$125,000,000

'

$150,000,000

$125,000,000

Term loan facility

125,000,000

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

Revolving credit facility present accordion provisions

'

50,000,000

'

50,000,000

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

Credit facility maturity date (Date)

'

'

'

31-Mar-19

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

Amount drawn under term loan facility

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

42,300,000

'

'

'

'

122,700,000

Description of variable interest rate

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'prime rate

'LIBOR

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

Basis spread on variable rate

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

1.50%

2.50%

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

Weighted average interest rate

'

'

'

'

'

2.80%

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

2.90%

'

'

(Decrease) in variable interest rate of debt instrument

'

0.50%

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

Assets and operations independent of subsidiaries

'

0

'

0

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

Ratio of indebtedness to net capital (in Ratio)

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

3.5

3.5

'

'

'

'

'

3.75

3.75

'

2.83

'

'

'

'

'

'

Gains Losses On Extinguishment Of Debt And Other Costs

'

$0

$0

$1,042,000

$0

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

Ratio of earnings to fixed cost obligations (in Ratio)

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

1.2

2.6

'

'

'

'

'

'

Deferred purchase price notes payable to sellers of acquired entities, discounted imputed interest rate (in Percent)

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

7.00%

11.00%

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

Deferred purchase price note interest rate

'

0.00%

'

0.00%

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

Imputed interest rate

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

9.50%

11.00%

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

Deferred purchase price notes payable to sellers of acquired entities, range of original maturities (in years)

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'5 years

'20 years

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

Debt Instrument, Periodic Principal Repayment, Percentage

'

'

'

'

'

'

7.50%

10.00%

'

12.50%

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

Debt Instrument, Periodic Principal Payments, Term

'2 years

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

Convertible_Subordinated_Notes2

Convertible Subordinated Notes (Details) (USD $)	9 Months Ended		0 Months Ended	3 Months Ended	9 Months Ended	1 Months Ended
	Sep. 30, 2014	Sep. 30, 2013	Mar. 19, 2014	Sep. 30, 2014	Sep. 30, 2014	Mar. 31, 2014	Jun. 30, 1999
			Convertible Subordinated Notes [Member]	Convertible Subordinated Notes [Member]	Convertible Subordinated Notes [Member]	Carriage Services Capital Trust [Member]	Carriage Services Capital Trust [Member]
			component			Convertible Junior Subordinated Debenture [Member]	Convertible Junior Subordinated Debenture [Member]
Debt Instrument [Line Items]	'	'	'	'	'	'	'
Repayment of Long-term Debt, Call Premium	'	'	'	'	'	$900,000	'
Stated interest rate percentage	'	'	2.75%	'	'	'	7.00%
Convertible debt, conversion to number of shares (per $1,000)	'	'	44.3169	'	'	'	'
Convertible debt, conversion base amount (in dollars)	'	'	1,000	'	'	'	'
Convertible debt, conversion rate (in dollars per share)	'	'	$22.56	'	'	'	'
Debt Instrument, Maturity Date	15-Mar-21	'	'	'	'	'	'
Debt redemption price, percentage	'	'	100.00%	'	'	'	'
Fair value inputs, bond discount rate	'	'	6.75%	'	'	'	'
Debt transaction costs	'	'	4,700,000	'	'	'	'
Convertible subordinated notes, term	'	'	'7 years	'	'7 years	'	'
Number of recognition components, convertible subordinated notes	'	'	2	'	'	'	'
Deferred tax liability	'	'	'	12,700,000	12,700,000	'	'
Carrying Values of Liability and Equity Components, Convertible Subordinated Notes	'	'	'	'	'	'	'
Convertible subordinated notes, principal amount	'	'	143,750,000	'	'	'	'
Unamortized discount of liability component	'	'	'	-30,013,000	-30,013,000	'	'
Carrying value of the liability component	'	'	'	113,737,000	113,737,000	'	'
Equity component carrying value	'	'	'	17,973,000	17,973,000	'	'
Convertible subordinated notes, fair value	'	'	'	151,000,000	151,000,000	'	'
Contractual coupon interest expense	'	'	'	1,000,000	2,100,000	'	'
Amortization of debt issuance costs	681,000	150,000	'	118,000	256,000	'	'
Accretion of discount, convertible subordinated notes	'	'	'	800,000	1,600,000	'	'
Effective interest rate percentage	'	'	'	6.75%	6.75%	'	'
Payment of debt transaction costs	'	'	$4,700,000	'	'	'	'

Convertible_Junior_Subordinate1

Convertible Junior Subordinated Debentures Payable to Affiliate and Company Obligated Mandatorily Redeemable Convertible Preferred Securities of Carriage Services Capital Trust (Details) (USD $)

9 Months Ended

1 Months Ended

9 Months Ended

1 Months Ended

1 Months Ended

Sep. 30, 2014

Sep. 30, 2013

Dec. 31, 2013

Jun. 30, 1999

Sep. 30, 2014

Jun. 30, 1999

Dec. 31, 2013

Mar. 31, 2014

Sep. 30, 2014

Mar. 17, 2014

Dec. 31, 2013

Jun. 30, 1999

Carriage Services Capital Trust [Member]

Carriage Services Capital Trust [Member]

Convertible Preferred Stock [Member]

Convertible Preferred Stock [Member]

Convertible Junior Subordinated Debenture [Member]

Convertible Junior Subordinated Debenture [Member]

Convertible Junior Subordinated Debenture [Member]

Convertible Junior Subordinated Debenture [Member]

Convertible Junior Subordinated Debenture [Member]

Carriage Services Capital Trust [Member]

Carriage Services Capital Trust [Member]

Carriage Services Capital Trust [Member]

Carriage Services Capital Trust [Member]

Carriage Services Capital Trust [Member]

Carriage Services Capital Trust [Member]

Carriage Services Capital Trust [Member]

Schedule of Available-for-sale Securities [Line Items]

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

Convertible preferred securities (in units)

'

'

'

'

'

1,875,000

'

'

'

'

'

'

Preferred securities, dividend rate percentage

'

'

'

7.00%

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

Proceeds from convertible securities

$143,750,000

$0

'

'

'

$90,000,000

'

'

'

'

'

'

Stated interest rate percentage

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

7.00%

Convertible junior subordinated debenture, face amount

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

93,750,000

Preferred securities, liquidation preference per unit

'

'

'

'

'

'

$50

'

'

'

'

'

Preferred securities, equivalent conversion price (in dollars per share)

'

'

'

'

'

'

$20.44

'

'

'

'

'

Convertible securities, deferral of distributions, term

'

'

'

'

'5 years

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

Debt redemption, price per principal base

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

50

'

'

Debt redemption, principal base

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

50

'

'

Redemption of convertible junior subordinated debentures

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

61,900,000

'

'

'

'

Redemption of convertible junior subordinated debentures, call premium

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

900,000

'

'

'

'

Convertible junior subordinated debentures due in 2029 to an affiliate

$0

'

$89,770,000

'

'

'

'

'

$27,864,000

'

$89,770,000

'

Commitments_and_Contingencies_

Commitments and Contingencies (Narrative) (Details) (Leatherman versus Grandview Memorial Gardens Inc [Member], Punative Class Action [Member])	0 Months Ended	1 Months Ended	12 Months Ended
	Aug. 17, 2007	Apr. 30, 2009	Dec. 31, 2010
	plaintiffs	defendants
Leatherman versus Grandview Memorial Gardens Inc [Member] | Punative Class Action [Member]	'	'	'
Loss Contingencies [Line Items]	'	'	'
Number of plaintiffs	5	'	'
Number of defendants	'	2	'
Number of days to retain new counsel	'	'	'60 days

Stockholders_Equity_Narrative_

Stockholders' Equity (Narrative) (Details) (USD $)

0 Months Ended

3 Months Ended

9 Months Ended

3 Months Ended

9 Months Ended

3 Months Ended

9 Months Ended

0 Months Ended

3 Months Ended

9 Months Ended

0 Months Ended

3 Months Ended

9 Months Ended

0 Months Ended

21-May-14

Sep. 30, 2014

Sep. 30, 2013

Sep. 30, 2014

Sep. 30, 2013

Mar. 05, 2012

Sep. 30, 2014

Sep. 30, 2013

Sep. 30, 2014

Sep. 30, 2013

Sep. 30, 2013

Sep. 30, 2014

Sep. 30, 2013

Sep. 30, 2014

Sep. 30, 2014

21-May-14

Sep. 30, 2013

Sep. 30, 2014

Sep. 30, 2013

Sep. 30, 2014

Mar. 03, 2014

Sep. 30, 2014

Sep. 30, 2014

21-May-14

director

Director Compensation Policy [Member]

ESPP

ESPP

ESPP

ESPP

Restricted Stock

Restricted Stock

Restricted Stock

Restricted Stock

Restricted Stock

Stock Options

Stock Options

Stock Options

Stock Options

Performance Shares

Common Stock

Common Stock

Common Stock

Director [Member]

Minimum [Member]

Maximum [Member]

Share-based Compensation Arrangement by Share-based Payment Award [Line Items]

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

Share based compensation awards, options outstanding at period end (in Shares)

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

1,393,421

'

'

'

'

'

'

Share based compensation awards, options outstanding and unvested at period end (in Shares)

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

1,061,022

'

'

'

'

'

'

Shares purchased through Employee Stock Purchase Plan (in Shares)

'

'

'

'

'

'

11,716

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

Weighted average purchase price of ESPP shares purchased during the period (in Dollars per share)

'

'

'

'

'

'

$14.73

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

Share-based compensation expense

'

'

'

'

'

'

$42,000

$43,000

$231,000

$230,000

$500,000

$1,294,000

$1,400,000

'

'

'

$441,000

$1,159,000

$618,000

'

'

'

'

'

Share-based Compensation Arrangement by Share-based Payment Award, Award Vesting Period

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'4 years

'

'3 years

'5 years

'

'

'4 years

'

'

'

'

'

'

Share-based Compensation Arrangement by Share-based Payment Award, Expiration Period

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'6 years

'

'

'

'

'

'

Stock Granted, Value, Share-based Compensation, Net of Forfeitures

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

100,000

'

'

'

'

'

'

Share based compensation awards, vesting percentage per period (in Percent)

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

25.00%

'

20.00%

33.33%

'

'

25.00%

'

'

'

'

'

'

Unrecognized share based compensation

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

5,400,000

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

Unrecognized share based compensation, expected term (in Duration)

'

'

'

'2 years 6 months 6 days

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

Performance award hurdle price (in Dollars per share)

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

$21.50

'

'

'

'

Number of days market price must exceed limit to vest

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'3 days

'

'

'

'

Term when market price must exceed limit to vest

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'30 days

'

'

'

'

Payment for Non-cash Exercise of Share-based Awards, Base Rate Per Share

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

$19

'

'

'

'

Payments for Non-cash Exercise of Share-based Awards

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

16,100,000

'

'

'

'

Performance award purchase price option 1 (in Dollars per share)

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

$0.50

'

'

'

'

Performance award purchase price option 2 (in Dollars per share)

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

$9

'

'

'

'

Directors fees approved under new Directors Compensation Policy, audit committee chair

'

'

'

'

'

17,500

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

Directors fees approved under new Directors Compensation Policy, compensation and corporate governance chair

'

'

'

'

'

15,000

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

Directors fees approved under new Directors Compensation Policy, lead director

'

'

'

'

'

115,000

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

Directors fees approved under new Directors Compensation Policy, each independent director

'

'

'

'

'

40,000

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

Directors fees approved under new Directors Compensation Policy, each independent director per regular or scheduled meeting

'

'

'

'

'

75,000

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

Directors fees approved under new Directors Compensation Policy, other committee members and chairs

'

'

'

'

'

2,000

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

Directors fees approved under new Directors Compensation Policy

'

'

'

'

'

1,600

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

Stock Issued During Period, Shares, Share-based Compensation, Gross

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

13,233

Number of Directors

3

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

Directors compensation expense

'

46,000

81,000

695,000

690,000

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

Share-based Compensation Arrangement by Share-based Payment Award, Options, Grants in Period, Gross

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

15,000

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

Share-based Compensation Arrangements by Share-based Payment Award, Options, Grants in Period, Weighted Average Exercise Price

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

$18.86

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

Common Stock, Dividends, Per Share, Declared

'

$0.03

$0.03

$0.08

$0.08

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

$0.03

'

'

'

Dividends, Common Stock, Cash

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

$500,000

$1,400,000

'

Stockholders_Equity_Options_De

Stockholders' Equity (Options) (Details) (Stock Options, USD $)	0 Months Ended	3 Months Ended	9 Months Ended
In Thousands, except Per Share data, unless otherwise specified	21-May-14	Sep. 30, 2013	Sep. 30, 2014	Sep. 30, 2013
Stock Options	'	'	'	'
Share-based Compensation Arrangement by Share-based Payment Award [Line Items]	'	'	'	'
Share based compensation awards, vesting percentage per period (in Percent)	'	'	25.00%	'
Allocated Share-based Compensation Expense	'	$441	$1,159	$618
Expected dividend yield assumption (in Percent)	0.53%	'	'	'
Expected volatility assumption (in Percent)	33.44%	'	'	'
Risk-free interest rate assumption (in Percent)	1.34%	'	'	'
Expected life assumption (in Years)	'4 years	'	'	'
Share-based Compensation Arrangement by Share-based Payment Award, Options, Grants in Period, Weighted Average Grant Date Fair Value	$5,060	'	'	'

Stockholders_Equity_ESPP_Detai

Stockholders' Equity (ESPP) (Details) (ESPP, USD $)	3 Months Ended		9 Months Ended		3 Months Ended	6 Months Ended	9 Months Ended	12 Months Ended
In Thousands, unless otherwise specified	Sep. 30, 2014	Sep. 30, 2013	Sep. 30, 2014	Sep. 30, 2013	Mar. 31, 2014	Jun. 30, 2014	Sep. 30, 2014	Dec. 31, 2014
						Six Months ended [Member]		Forecast
Share-based Compensation Arrangement by Share-based Payment Award [Line Items]	'	'	'	'	'	'	'	'
Share-based compensation expense	$42	$43	$231	$230	'	'	'	'
Expected dividend yield assumption (in Percent)	'	'	0.60%	'	'	'	'	'
Expected volatility assumption (in Percent)	'	'	33.37%	'	'	'	'	'
Risk-free interest rate assumption (in Percent)	'	'	'	'	0.07%	0.09%	0.11%	0.13%
Expected life assumption (in Years)	'	'	'	'	'3 months	'6 months	'9 months	'1 year

Stockholders_Equity_AOCI_Detai

Stockholders' Equity (AOCI) (Details) (USD $)	9 Months Ended
In Thousands, unless otherwise specified	Sep. 30, 2014
Equity [Abstract]	'
Beginning balance	$0
Increase in net unrealized gains associated with available-for-sale securities of the trusts	3,783
Reclassification of net unrealized gain activity attributable to the Deferred preneed funeral and cemetery receipts held in trust and Care trusts’ corpus	-3,783
Ending balance	$0

Major_Segments_of_Business_Rev

Major Segments of Business (Revenue, pre-tax income and total and total assets by segments) (Details) (USD $)	3 Months Ended		9 Months Ended
In Thousands, unless otherwise specified	Sep. 30, 2014	Sep. 30, 2013	Sep. 30, 2014	Sep. 30, 2013	Dec. 31, 2013
Segment Reporting Information [Line Items]	'	'	'	'	'
Revenues from continuing operations	$54,549	$49,501	$166,705	$160,435	'
Income (loss) from continuing operations before income taxes	5,215	3,165	14,255	18,614	'
Total assets	825,696	'	825,696	'	746,599
Funeral [Member]	'	'	'	'	'
Segment Reporting Information [Line Items]	'	'	'	'	'
Revenues from continuing operations	41,770	37,132	127,926	122,427	'
Income (loss) from continuing operations before income taxes	'	'	39,025	37,329	'
Total assets	564,768	'	564,768	'	502,525
Cemetery [Member]	'	'	'	'	'
Segment Reporting Information [Line Items]	'	'	'	'	'
Revenues from continuing operations	12,779	12,369	38,779	38,008	'
Income (loss) from continuing operations before income taxes	'	'	10,959	11,513	'
Total assets	242,595	'	242,595	'	227,520
Corporate [Member]	'	'	'	'	'
Segment Reporting Information [Line Items]	'	'	'	'	'
Revenues from continuing operations	'	'	0	0	'
Income (loss) from continuing operations before income taxes	'	'	-35,729	-30,228	'
Total assets	$18,333	'	$18,333	'	$16,554

Supplemental_Disclosure_of_Sta2

Supplemental Disclosure of Statement of Operations Information (Supplemental disclosure for the Consolidated Statements of Operations) (Details) (USD $)	3 Months Ended		9 Months Ended
In Thousands, unless otherwise specified	Sep. 30, 2014	Sep. 30, 2013	Sep. 30, 2014	Sep. 30, 2013
Segment Reporting Information [Line Items]	'	'	'	'
Total revenues	$54,549	$49,501	$166,705	$160,435
Cost of Revenue	39,472	35,401	115,624	110,550
Funeral [Member]	'	'	'	'
Segment Reporting Information [Line Items]	'	'	'	'
Total revenues	41,770	37,132	127,926	122,427
Cost of Revenue	25,930	23,244	77,906	73,707
Cemetery [Member]	'	'	'	'
Segment Reporting Information [Line Items]	'	'	'	'
Total revenues	12,779	12,369	38,779	38,008
Cost of Revenue	7,988	7,357	23,002	21,809
Funeral And Cemetery [Member]	'	'	'	'
Segment Reporting Information [Line Items]	'	'	'	'
Cost of Revenue	33,918	30,601	100,908	95,516
Goods [Member]	'	'	'	'
Segment Reporting Information [Line Items]	'	'	'	'
Total revenues	23,353	22,222	72,984	71,461
Cost of Revenue	19,221	17,740	58,005	55,587
Goods [Member] | Funeral [Member]	'	'	'	'
Segment Reporting Information [Line Items]	'	'	'	'
Total revenues	15,771	14,678	49,230	48,325
Cost of Revenue	13,139	12,089	40,336	38,783
Goods [Member] | Cemetery [Member]	'	'	'	'
Segment Reporting Information [Line Items]	'	'	'	'
Total revenues	7,582	7,544	23,754	23,136
Cost of Revenue	6,082	5,651	17,669	16,804
Service [Member]	'	'	'	'
Segment Reporting Information [Line Items]	'	'	'	'
Total revenues	26,319	22,873	79,475	74,665
Cost of Revenue	14,351	12,550	41,947	38,787
Service [Member] | Funeral [Member]	'	'	'	'
Segment Reporting Information [Line Items]	'	'	'	'
Total revenues	23,717	20,360	71,562	67,083
Cost of Revenue	12,511	10,881	36,743	33,913
Service [Member] | Cemetery [Member]	'	'	'	'
Segment Reporting Information [Line Items]	'	'	'	'
Total revenues	2,602	2,513	7,913	7,582
Cost of Revenue	1,840	1,669	5,204	4,874
Financial [Member]	'	'	'	'
Segment Reporting Information [Line Items]	'	'	'	'
Total revenues	4,877	4,406	14,246	14,309
Cost of Revenue	346	311	956	1,142
Financial [Member] | Trust [Member]	'	'	'	'
Segment Reporting Information [Line Items]	'	'	'	'
Cost of Revenue	86	48	168	170
Financial [Member] | Funeral [Member] | Preneed Commission [Member]	'	'	'	'
Segment Reporting Information [Line Items]	'	'	'	'
Total revenues	509	446	1,636	1,435
Cost of Revenue	260	263	788	972
Financial [Member] | Funeral [Member] | Preneed Trust [Member]	'	'	'	'
Segment Reporting Information [Line Items]	'	'	'	'
Total revenues	1,773	1,648	5,498	5,584
Financial [Member] | Cemetery [Member] | Trust [Member]	'	'	'	'
Segment Reporting Information [Line Items]	'	'	'	'
Total revenues	2,212	1,940	6,072	6,220
Financial [Member] | Cemetery [Member] | Finance Charges [Member]	'	'	'	'
Segment Reporting Information [Line Items]	'	'	'	'
Total revenues	$383	$372	$1,040	$1,070

Supplemental_Disclosure_of_Cas2

Supplemental Disclosure of Cash Flow Information (Supplemental disclosure for the Consolidated Statements of Cash Flows) (Details) (USD $)	9 Months Ended
In Thousands, unless otherwise specified	Sep. 30, 2014	Sep. 30, 2013
Business Segment [Line Items]	'	'
Cash paid for interest and financing costs	$7,588	$9,444
Cash paid (refunded) for income taxes	830	506
Fair value of stock, stock options and performance awards issued to directors, officers and certain employees	8,219	3,822
Restricted common stock withheld for payroll taxes	1,305	1,601
Preneed Funeral Trust [Member]	'	'
Business Segment [Line Items]	'	'
Net (deposits)/withdrawals into/from trust accounts	-1,336	-1,400
Net (deposits)/withdrawals of receivables into/from preneed trusts	-1,086	-424
Net deposits/(withdrawals) into/from preneed trust accounts, increasing/(decreasing) deferred preneed receipts	1,336	1,400
Preneed Cemetery Trust [Member]	'	'
Business Segment [Line Items]	'	'
Net (deposits)/withdrawals into/from trust accounts	-1,099	181
Net deposits/(withdrawals) into/from preneed trust accounts, increasing/(decreasing) deferred preneed receipts	1,099	-181
Perpetual Care Trust [Member]	'	'
Business Segment [Line Items]	'	'
Net (deposits)/withdrawals into/from trust accounts	293	5,209
Net deposits/(withdrawals) in perpetual care trust accounts increasing/(decreasing) perpetual care trusts’ corpus	160	-4,820
Preneed Funeral Receivables [Member]	'	'
Business Segment [Line Items]	'	'
Net (increase)/decrease in preneed receivables	-1,500	-1,530
Net change in preneed receivables (increasing)/decreasing deferred revenue	245	1,869
Preneed Cemetery Receivables [Member]	'	'
Business Segment [Line Items]	'	'
Net change in preneed receivables (increasing)/decreasing deferred revenue	$90	$621

Earnings_Per_Share_EPS_Computa

Earnings Per Share (EPS Computations) (Details) (USD $)	3 Months Ended		9 Months Ended
In Thousands, except Per Share data, unless otherwise specified	Sep. 30, 2014	Sep. 30, 2013	Sep. 30, 2014	Sep. 30, 2013
Earnings Per Share [Abstract]	'	'	'	'
Income from continuing operations	$4,565	$1,908	$10,080	$10,888
Less: Earnings allocated to unvested restricted stock	-84	-35	-198	-236
Income attributable to continuing operations	4,481	1,873	9,882	10,652
Income from discontinued operations	431	3,986	381	4,408
Less: Earnings allocated to unvested restricted stock	-8	-74	-8	-96
Income attributable to discontinued operations	423	3,912	373	4,312
Interest on convertible junior subordinated debentures, net of tax	0	0	0	2,462
Income attributable to continuing operations	$4,481	$1,873	$9,882	$13,114
Denominator [Abstract]	'	'	'	'
Denominator for basic earnings per common share - weighted average shares outstanding	18,150	17,892	18,086	17,794
Effect of dilutive securities, Stock options (in shares)	126	165	137	175
Effect of dilutive securities, Convertible junior subordinated debentures (in shares)	0	0	0	4,392
Weighted average number of common and common equivalent shares outstanding for diluted EPS computation	18,276	18,057	18,223	22,361
Basic earnings per common share:	'	'	'	'
Continuing operations (in dollars per Share)	$0.25	$0.10	$0.55	$0.60
Discontinued operations (in dollars per Share)	$0.02	$0.22	$0.02	$0.24
Basic earnings per common share (in dollars per Share)	$0.27	$0.32	$0.57	$0.84
Diluted earnings per common share:	'	'	'	'
Continuing operations (in dollars per Share)	$0.24	$0.10	$0.54	$0.59
Discontinued operations (in dollars per Share)	$0.02	$0.22	$0.02	$0.19
Diluted earnings per common share (in dollars per Share)	$0.26	$0.32	$0.56	$0.78