Service Corporation International (SCI) 10-Q 25 Apr 14 2014 Q1 Quarterly report Financial data

Document_and_Entity_Informatio

Document and Entity Information Document	3 Months Ended
	Mar. 31, 2014	Apr. 23, 2014
Document Information [Line Items]	'	'
Entity Registrant Name	'Service Corporation International	'
Entity Central Index Key	'0000089089	'
Current Fiscal Year End Date	'--12-31	'
Entity Filer Category	'Large Accelerated Filer	'
Document Type	'10-Q	'
Document Period End Date	31-Mar-14	'
Document Fiscal Year Focus	'2014	'
Document Fiscal Period Focus	'Q1	'
Amendment Flag	'false	'
Entity Common Stock, Shares Outstanding	'	212,532,818

Unaudited_Condensed_Consolidat

Unaudited Condensed Consolidated Statement of Operations Statement (USD $)	3 Months Ended
In Thousands, except Per Share data, unless otherwise specified	Mar. 31, 2014	Mar. 31, 2013
Revenues	$747,123	$652,352
Costs and expenses	-580,741	-492,695
Gross profits	166,382	159,657
General and administrative expenses	-56,010	-30,923
Losses on divestitures and impairment charges, net	-2,812	-969
Operating income	107,560	127,765
Interest expense	-44,996	-32,769
Other income (expense), net	1,534	-984
Income before income taxes	64,098	94,012
Provision for income taxes	-22,707	-35,290
Net income	41,391	58,722
Net income attributable to noncontrolling interests	-289	-1,102
Net income attributable to common stockholders	$41,102	$57,620
Basic earnings per share:	'	'
Net income attributable to common stockholders	$0.19	$0.27
Basic weighted average number of shares	212,838	211,380
Diluted earnings per share:	'	'
Net income attributable to common stockholders	$0.19	$0.27
Diluted weighted average number of shares	217,231	215,208
Dividends declared per share	$0.08	$0.06

Unaudited_Condensed_Consolidat1

Unaudited Condensed Consolidated Statement of Comprehensive Income (USD $)	3 Months Ended
In Thousands, unless otherwise specified	Mar. 31, 2014	Mar. 31, 2013
Net income	$41,391	$58,722
Other comprehensive income:	'	'
Foreign currency translation adjustments	-11,200	-5,516
Total comprehensive income	30,191	53,206
Total comprehensive income attributable to noncontrolling interests	-315	-1,098
Total comprehensive income attributable to common stockholders	$29,876	$52,108

Unaudited_Condensed_Consolidat2

Unaudited Condensed Consolidated Balance Sheet Statement (USD $)	Mar. 31, 2014	Dec. 31, 2013
In Thousands, unless otherwise specified
Current assets:	'	'
Cash and cash equivalents	$148,619	$144,873
Receivables, net	105,813	105,899
Deferred tax assets	39,476	39,074
Inventories, net	34,508	34,668
Current assets held for sale	5,740	4,569
Other	41,848	65,524
Total current assets	376,004	394,607
Preneed funeral receivables, net and trust investments	1,871,539	1,870,874
Preneed cemetery receivables, net and trust investments	2,301,633	2,300,911
Cemetery property, at cost	1,721,446	1,747,125
Property and equipment, net	1,887,019	1,920,868
Non-current assets held for sale	795,001	746,474
Goodwill, net	1,978,621	1,968,235
Deferred charges and other assets	631,759	632,088
Cemetery perpetual care trust investments	1,342,589	1,347,622
Total assets	12,905,611	12,928,804
Current liabilities:	'	'
Accounts payable and accrued liabilities	477,368	486,648
Current maturities of long-term debt	105,705	176,362
Current liabilities held for sale	4,850	3,183
Income taxes	3,301	6,391
Total current liabilities	591,224	672,584
Long-term debt	3,133,925	3,125,548
Deferred preneed funeral revenues	672,631	686,160
Deferred preneed cemetery revenues	986,538	974,757
Deferred tax liability	586,991	581,440
Non-current liabilities held for sale	504,423	437,084
Other liabilities	404,693	430,393
Deferred preneed funeral and cemetery receipts held in trust	3,245,629	3,250,586
Care trusts’ corpus	1,340,361	1,345,874
Commitments and contingencies (Note 15)	'	'
Stockholders' Equity:	'	'
Common stock, $1 per share par value, 500,000,000 shares authorized, 213,605,552 and 212,326,642 shares issued, respectively, and 213,531,666 and 212,316,642 shares outstanding, respectively	213,532	212,317
Capital in excess of par value	1,251,573	1,259,348
Accumulated deficit	-105,893	-145,876
Accumulated other comprehensive income	77,215	88,441
Total common stockholders’ equity	1,436,427	1,414,230
Noncontrolling interests	2,769	10,148
Total equity	1,439,196	1,424,378
Total liabilities and equity	12,905,611	12,928,804
Cemetery Perpetual Care [Member]	'	'
Current assets:	'	'
Cemetery perpetual care trust investments	1,342,589	1,347,622
Current liabilities:	'	'
Care trusts’ corpus	$1,340,361	$1,345,874

Unaudited_Condensed_Consolidat3

Unaudited Condensed Consolidated Balance Sheet (Parenthetical) (USD $)	Mar. 31, 2014	Dec. 31, 2013
Common stock, par value	$1	$1
Common stock, shares authorized	500,000,000	500,000,000
Common stock, shares issued	213,605,552	212,326,642
Common stock, shares outstanding	213,531,666	212,316,642

Unaudited_Condensed_Consolidat4

Unaudited Condensed Consolidated Statement of Cash Flows Statement (USD $)	3 Months Ended
In Thousands, unless otherwise specified	Mar. 31, 2014	Mar. 31, 2013
Cash flows from operating activities:	'	'
Net income	$41,391	$58,722
Adjustments to reconcile net income to net cash provided by operating activities:	'	'
Depreciation and amortization	36,120	30,447
Amortization of intangible assets	10,080	5,808
Amortization of cemetery property	11,339	8,975
Amortization of loan costs	1,844	1,235
Provision for doubtful accounts	2,155	1,720
Provision for deferred income taxes	10,124	26,134
Losses on divestitures and impairment charges, net	2,812	969
Share-based compensation	3,130	2,830
Excess tax benefits from share based awards	-6,744	-772
Change in assets and liabilities, net of effects from acquisitions and divestitures:	'	'
(Increase) decrease in receivables	-3,761	5,962
Increase in other assets	-931	-5,882
Increase in payables and other liabilities	5,966	12,215
Effect of preneed funeral production and maturities:	'	'
Decrease in preneed funeral receivables, net and trust investments	12,852	13,738
Decrease in deferred preneed funeral revenue	-531	-4,000
Decrease in deferred preneed funeral receipts held in trust	-14,768	-14,176
Effect of cemetery production and deliveries:	'	'
Decrease (increase) in preneed cemetery receivables, net and trust investments	2,160	-6,359
Increase in deferred preneed cemetery revenue	19,421	15,912
Decrease in deferred preneed cemetery receipts held in trust	-6,262	-3,419
Other	1,490	1,065
Net cash provided by operating activities	127,887	151,124
Cash flows from investing activities:	'	'
Capital expenditures	-25,222	-22,569
Acquisitions	-779	0
Proceeds from divestitures and sales of property and equipment	2,639	1,816
Net (deposits) withdrawals of restricted funds and other	-12,225	339
Net cash used in investing activities	-35,587	-20,414
Cash flows from financing activities:	'	'
Proceeds from issuance of long-term debt	110,000	0
Payments of debt	-7,579	-4,948
Principal payments on capital leases	-7,231	-6,468
Proceeds from exercise of stock options	7,915	3,094
Early extinguishment of debt	-167,093	0
Excess tax benefits from share based awards	6,744	772
Purchase of Company common stock	-1,053	-1,708
Payments of dividends	-17,080	-12,698
Purchase of noncontrolling interest	-15,000	-8,333
Bank overdrafts and other	3,762	-4,004
Net cash used in financing activities	-86,615	-34,293
Effect of foreign currency on cash and cash equivalents	-1,939	-579
Net increase in cash and cash equivalents	3,746	95,838
Cash and cash equivalents at beginning of period	144,873	92,708
Cash and cash equivalents at end of period	$148,619	$188,546

Unaudited_Condensed_Consolidat5

Unaudited Condensed Consolidated Statement of Equity Statement (USD $)	Total	Common Stock	Treasury Stock	Capital in Excess of Par Value	Accumulated Deficit	Accumulated Other Comprehensive Income	Noncontrolling Interests
In Thousands, unless otherwise specified
Balance at beginning of period at Dec. 31, 2012	$1,362,827	$211,057	($10)	$1,307,058	($286,795)	$111,717	$19,800
Stockholders' Equity Attributable to Noncontrolling Interest [Roll Forward]	'	'	'	'	'	'	'
Comprehensive income	53,206	0	0	0	57,620	-5,512	1,098
Dividends declared on common stock	-12,698	0	0	-12,698	0	0	0
Employee share-based compensation earned	2,830	0	0	2,830	0	0	0
Stock option exercises	3,094	350	0	2,744	0	0	0
Tax Benefits Related to Share-Based Awards	772	0	0	772	0	0	0
Restricted stock awards, net of forfeitures	0	378	-3	-375	0	0	0
Purchase of Company common stock	-1,708	0	-109	-676	-923	0	0
Purchase of noncontrolling interest	-8,333	0	0	-1,696	0	0	-6,637
Noncontrolling interest payment	-900	0	0	0	0	0	-900
Other	-9	1	0	-10	0	0	0
Balance at end of period at Mar. 31, 2013	1,399,081	211,786	-122	1,297,949	-230,098	106,205	13,361
Balance at beginning of period at Dec. 31, 2013	1,424,378	212,327	-10	1,259,348	-145,876	88,441	10,148
Stockholders' Equity Attributable to Noncontrolling Interest [Roll Forward]	'	'	'	'	'	'	'
Comprehensive income	30,191	0	0	0	41,102	-11,226	315
Dividends declared on common stock	-17,080	0	0	-17,080	0	0	0
Employee share-based compensation earned	3,130	0	0	3,130	0	0	0
Stock option exercises	8,676	964	0	7,712	0	0	0
Tax Benefits Related to Share-Based Awards	6,743	0	0	6,743	0	0	0
Restricted stock awards, net of forfeitures	0	344	0	-344	0	0	0
Purchase of Company common stock	-1,814	0	-106	-589	-1,119	0	0
Purchase of noncontrolling interest	-15,000	0	0	-7,441	0	0	-7,559
Noncontrolling interest payment	-135	0	0	0	0	0	-135
Retirement of treasury shares	0	-42	-42	0	0	0	0
Other	107	13	0	94	0	0	0
Balance at end of period at Mar. 31, 2014	$1,439,196	$213,606	($74)	$1,251,573	($105,893)	$77,215	$2,769

Unaudited_Condensed_Consolidat6

Unaudited Condensed Consolidated Statement of Equity (Parenthetical) (USD $)	3 Months Ended
	Mar. 31, 2014	Mar. 31, 2013
Dividends declared per share	$0.08	$0.06

Nature_of_Operations_Notes

Nature of Operations (Notes)	3 Months Ended
	Mar. 31, 2014
Nature of Operations [Abstract]	'
Nature of Operations [Text Block]	'
	Nature of Operations
	We are North America’s largest provider of deathcare products and services, with a network of funeral service locations and cemeteries primarily operating in the United States and Canada. Our operations consist of funeral service locations, cemeteries, funeral service/cemetery combination locations, crematoria, and related businesses.
	Funeral service locations provide all professional services relating to funerals and cremations, including the use of funeral facilities and motor vehicles and preparation and embalming services. Funeral-related merchandise, including caskets, casket memorialization products, burial vaults, cremation receptacles, cremation memorial products, flowers, and other ancillary products and services, is sold at funeral service locations. Cemeteries provide cemetery property interment rights, including developed lots, lawn crypts, and mausoleum spaces and sell cemetery-related merchandise and services, including stone and bronze memorials, markers, merchandise installations, and burial openings and closings. We also sell preneed funeral and cemetery merchandise and services whereby a customer contractually agrees to the terms of certain merchandise and services to be provided in the future.

Summary_of_Significant_Account

Summary of Significant Accounting Policies (Notes)	3 Months Ended
	Mar. 31, 2014
Summary of Significant Accounting Policies [Abstract]	'
Significant Accounting Policies [Text Block]	'
	Summary of Significant Accounting Policies
	Principles of Consolidation and Basis of Presentation
	Our unaudited condensed consolidated financial statements include the accounts of Service Corporation International (SCI) and all subsidiaries in which we hold a controlling financial interest. Our financial statements also include the accounts of the funeral merchandise and service trusts, cemetery merchandise and service trusts, and cemetery perpetual care trusts in which we have a variable interest and are the primary beneficiary. Our interim condensed consolidated financial statements are unaudited but include all adjustments, consisting of normal recurring accruals and any other adjustments, which management considers necessary for a fair statement of our results for these periods. Our unaudited condensed consolidated financial statements have been prepared in a manner consistent with the accounting policies described in our Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2013, unless otherwise disclosed herein, and should be read in conjunction therewith. The accompanying year-end condensed consolidated balance sheet data was derived from audited financial statements, but does not include all disclosures required by accounting principles generally accepted in the United States of America. Operating results for interim periods are not necessarily indicative of the results that may be expected for the full year period.
	Reclassifications
	Certain reclassifications have been made to prior period amounts to conform to the current period financial statement presentation with no effect on our previously reported results of operations, consolidated financial position, or cash flows. In this filing we revised our consolidated balance sheet as of December 31, 2013 to reclassify $30.0 million from Long-term debt to Current maturities of long-term debt. The original misclassification relates to amounts payable in 2014 for our Term Loan due July 2018. Our previously issued December 31, 2013 financial statements are not materially misstated by this misclassification.
	Use of Estimates in the Preparation of Financial Statements
	The preparation of the unaudited condensed consolidated financial statements in conformity with accounting principles generally accepted in the United States of America requires management to make estimates and assumptions as described in our Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2013. These estimates and assumptions may affect the reported amounts of assets and liabilities and disclosure of contingent assets and liabilities at the date of the unaudited condensed consolidated financial statements and the reported amounts of revenues and expenses during the reporting periods. As a result, actual results could differ from these estimates.
	Preneed Funeral and Cemetery Receivables
	We sell preneed funeral and cemetery contracts whereby the customer enters into arrangements for future merchandise and services prior to the time of need. As these contracts are entered into prior to the delivery of the related goods and services, the preneed funeral and cemetery receivables are offset by a comparable deferred revenue amount. These receivables generally have an interest component for which interest income is recorded when the interest amount is considered collectible and realizable, which typically coincides with cash payment. We do not accrue interest on financing receivables that are not paid in accordance with the contractual payment date given the nature of our goods and services, the nature of our contracts with customers, and the timing of the delivery of our services. We do not consider receivables to be past due until the service or goods are required to be delivered at which time the preneed receivable is paid or reclassified as a trade receivable with payment terms of less than 30 days. As the preneed funeral and cemetery receivables are offset by comparable deferred revenue amounts, we have no risk of loss related to these receivables.
	If a preneed contract is canceled prior to delivery, state or provincial law governs the amount of the refund owed to the customer, if any, including the amount of the attributed investment earnings. Upon cancellation, we receive the amount of principal deposited to the trust and previously undistributed net investment earnings and, where required, issue a refund to the customer. We retain excess funds, if any, and recognize the attributed investment earnings (net of any investment earnings payable to the customer) as revenue in the consolidated statement of operations. In certain jurisdictions, we may be obligated to fund any shortfall if the amount deposited by the customers exceed the funds in trust. Based on our historical experience, we have provided an allowance for cancellation of these receivables, which is recorded as a reduction in receivables with a corresponding offset to deferred revenue.
	Income Taxes
	In July 2013, the Financial Accounting Standards Board (FASB) amended the Income Taxes Topic of the Accounting Standards Codification (ASC) to eliminate a diversity in practice for the presentation of unrecognized tax benefits when net operating loss carryforwards, similar tax losses, or tax credit carryforwards exist. The amendment requires that the unrecognized tax benefit be presented as a reduction of the deferred tax assets associated with the carryforwards except in certain circumstances when it would be reflected as a liability. We adopted this amendment effective January 1, 2014 with no impact on our consolidated results of operations, consolidated financial position, or cash flows.
	Foreign Currency
	In March 2013, the FASB amended the Foreign Currency Matters Topic of the ASC to clarify the appropriate accounting when a parent ceases to have a controlling interest in a subsidiary or group of assets that is a business within a foreign entity. This clarification provides that the cumulative translation adjustment should only be released into net income if the loss of controlling interest represents complete or substantially complete liquidation of the foreign entity in which the subsidiary or asset group had resided. We adopted this amendment effective January 1, 2014 with no impact on our consolidated results of operations, consolidated financial position, or cash flows.

Recently_Issued_Accounting_Sta

Recently Issued Accounting Standards (Notes)	3 Months Ended
	Mar. 31, 2014
Recently Issued Accounting Standards [Abstract]	'
Schedule of New Accounting Pronouncements and Changes in Accounting Principles [Table Text Block]	'
	Recently Issued Accounting Standards
	Discontinued Operations
	In April 2014, the FASB amended the Presentation of Financial Statements and Property, Plant and Equipment Topics of the ASC to change the requirement for reporting discontinued operations. Under the new guidance, a disposal of a component of an entity is required to be reported in discontinued operations if the disposal represents a strategic shift that has (or will have) a major effect on an entity’s operations and financial results. Fewer disposals are expected to qualify as discontinued operations under the new guidance. It also requires the disclosure of pretax income of disposals that do not qualify as discontinued operations. The new guidance is effective for us with disposals that occur after January 1, 2015.

Preneed_Funeral_Activities_Not

Preneed Funeral Activities (Notes) (Funeral [Member])	3 Months Ended
	Mar. 31, 2014
Funeral [Member]	'
Preneed Funeral Activities Text Block	'
	Preneed Funeral Activities
	Preneed funeral receivables, net and trust investments represent trust investments, including investment earnings, and customer receivables, net of unearned finance charges, related to unperformed, price-guaranteed preneed funeral contracts. Our funeral merchandise and service trusts are variable interest entities as defined in the Consolidation Topic of the ASC. In accordance with this guidance, we have determined that we are the primary beneficiary of these trusts, as we absorb a majority of the losses and returns associated with these trusts. Our cemetery trust investments detailed in Notes 5 and 6 are also accounted for as variable interest entities. When we receive payments from the customer, we deposit the amount required by law into the trust and reclassify the corresponding amount from Deferred preneed funeral revenues into Deferred preneed funeral and cemetery receipts held in trust. Amounts are withdrawn from the trusts after the contract obligations are performed. Cash flows from preneed funeral contracts are presented as operating cash flows in our unaudited condensed consolidated statement of cash flows.
	Preneed funeral receivables, net and trust investments are reduced by the trust investment earnings (realized and unrealized) that we have been allowed to withdraw in certain states prior to maturity. These earnings are recorded in Deferred preneed funeral revenues until the service is performed or the merchandise is delivered.
	The table below sets forth certain investment-related activities associated with our preneed funeral merchandise and service trusts:
		Three Months Ended
		March 31,
		2014				2013
		(In thousands)
	Deposits	$	27,923			$	22,199
	Withdrawals	43,737				32,705
	Purchases of available-for-sale securities	61,485				60,979
	Sales of available-for-sale securities	64,051				96,704
	Realized gains from sales of available-for-sale securities	16,101				11,371
	Realized losses from sales of available-for-sale securities	(1,474		)		(1,721		)
	The components of Preneed funeral receivables, net and trust investments in our unaudited condensed consolidated balance sheet at March 31, 2014 and December 31, 2013 are as follows:
		March 31, 2014				December 31, 2013
		(In thousands)
	Trust investments, at fair value	$	1,415,235			$	1,422,942
	Cash and cash equivalents	132,471				128,216
	Assets associated with businesses held for sale	(159,808		)		(163,436		)
	Insurance-backed fixed income securities	279,236				280,969
	Trust investments	1,667,134				1,668,691
	Receivables from customers	255,606				254,294
	Unearned finance charge	(6,826		)		(6,772		)
		1,915,914				1,916,213
	Allowance for cancellation	(44,375		)		(45,339		)
	Preneed funeral receivables, net and trust investments	$	1,871,539			$	1,870,874
	The cost and fair values associated with our funeral merchandise and service trust investments recorded at fair value at March 31, 2014 and December 31, 2013 are detailed below. Cost reflects the investment (net of redemptions) of control holders in common trust funds, mutual funds, and private equity investments. Fair value represents the market value of the underlying securities held by the common trust funds, mutual funds at published values, and the estimated fair value of private equity investments (including debt as well as the estimated fair value related to the contract holder’s equity in majority-owned real estate investments).
		March 31, 2014
		Fair Value Hierarchy Level		Cost				Unrealized				Unrealized				Fair
								Gains				Losses				Value
								(In thousands)
	Fixed income securities:
	U.S. Treasury	2		$	99,924			$	1,435			$	(4,221	)		$	97,138
	Canadian government	2		94,793				151				(1,066		)		93,878
	Corporate	2		56,892				3,965				(361		)		60,496
	Residential mortgage-backed	2		2,424				26				(33		)		2,417
	Asset-backed	2		3,358				65				—				3,423
	Equity securities:
	Preferred stock	2		29,322				1,921				(45		)		31,198
	Common stock:
	United States	1		369,338				75,887				(6,397		)		438,828
	Canada	1		25,182				4,721				(970		)		28,933
	Other international	1		34,811				4,904				(480		)		39,235
	Mutual funds:
	Equity	1		262,636				23,887				(2,132		)		284,391
	Fixed income	1		313,960				5,785				(15,800		)		303,945
	Private equity	3		32,568				3,069				(8,123		)		27,514
	Other	3		3,455				384				—				3,839
	Trust investments			$	1,328,663			$	126,200			$	(39,628	)		$	1,415,235
		December 31, 2013
		Fair Value Hierarchy Level		Cost				Unrealized				Unrealized				Fair
								Gains				Losses				Value
								(In thousands)
	Fixed income securities:
	U.S. Treasury	2		$	110,511			$	1,299			$	(5,599	)		$	106,211
	Canadian government	2		100,263				81				(1,113		)		99,231
	Corporate	2		64,042				3,515				(691		)		66,866
	Residential mortgage-backed	2		2,408				23				(33		)		2,398
	Asset-backed	2		3,366				—				(10		)		3,356
	Equity securities:
	Preferred stock	2		30,107				754				(235		)		30,626
	Common stock:
United States	1		364,721				77,963				(2,928		)		439,756
Canada	1		27,634				4,346				(1,216		)		30,764
Other international	1		35,519				4,986				(199		)		40,306
Mutual funds:
Equity	1		257,256				22,530				(2,303		)		277,483
Fixed income	1		313,606				3,228				(19,577		)		297,257
Private equity	3		32,909				2,702				(8,726		)		26,885
Other	3		1,545				291				(33		)		1,803
Trust investments			$	1,343,887			$	121,718			$	(42,663	)		$	1,422,942
Where quoted prices are available in an active market, securities held by the common trust funds and mutual funds are classified as Level 1 investments pursuant to the three-level valuation hierarchy as required by the Fair Value Measurements and Disclosure (FVM&D) Topic of the ASC.
Where quoted market prices are not available for the specific security, fair values are estimated by using either quoted prices of securities with similar characteristics or an income approach fair value model with observable inputs that include a combination of interest rates, yield curves, credit risks, prepayment speeds, rating, and tax-exempt status. These funds are classified as Level 2 investments pursuant to the three-level valuation hierarchy as required by the FVM&D Topic of the ASC.
The valuation of private equity and other alternative investments requires management judgment due to the absence of quoted market prices, inherent lack of liquidity, and the long-term nature of such assets. The fair value of these investments is estimated based on the market value of the underlying real estate and private equity investments. The underlying real estate value is determined using the most recent available appraisals. Private equity instruments are valued based on reported net asset values discounted by 0% to 20% for risk and 0% to 10% for liquidity. A significant increase (decrease) in the discounts results in a directionally opposite change in the fair value of the instruments. Valuation policies and procedures are determined by our Trust Services department, which reports to our Chief Financial Officer.  Additionally, valuations are reviewed by our investment committee quarterly. These funds are classified as Level 3 investments pursuant to the three-level valuation hierarchy as required by the FVM&D Topic of the ASC.
As of March 31, 2014, our unfunded commitment for our private equity and other investments was $7.5 million which, if called, would be funded by the assets of the trusts. Our private equity and other investments include several funds that invest in limited partnerships, distressed debt, real estate, and mezzanine financing. These investments can never be redeemed by the funds. Instead, the nature of the investments in this category is that the distributions are received through the liquidation of the underlying assets of the funds. We estimate that the underlying assets will be liquidated over the next 2 to 10 years.
The change in our market-based funeral merchandise and service trust investments with significant unobservable inputs (Level 3) is as follows (in thousands):
	Three Months Ended
	March 31, 2014								March 31, 2013
	Private Equity				Other				Private Equity				Other
Fair value, beginning balance	$	26,885			$	1,803			$	17,879			$	744
Net unrealized gains (losses) included in Accumulated other comprehensive income(1)	(470		)		2,036				10,850				509
Net realized losses included in Other income (expense), net(2)	(8		)		—				(5		)		(1		)
Purchases	1,887				—				—				—
Contributions	467				—				637				—
Distributions	(1,247		)		—				(3,630		)		—
Fair value, ending balance	$	27,514			$	3,839			$	25,731			$	1,252
-1	All unrealized gains (losses) recognized in Accumulated other comprehensive income for our funeral merchandise and service trust investments are attributable to our preneed customers and are offset by a corresponding reclassification in Accumulated other comprehensive income to Deferred preneed funeral and cemetery receipts held in trust. See Note 7 for further information related to our Deferred preneed funeral and cemetery receipts held in trust.
-2	All losses recognized in Other income (expense), net for our funeral merchandise and service trust investments are attributable to our preneed customers and are offset by a corresponding reclassification in Other income (expense), net to Deferred preneed funeral and cemetery receipts held in trust. See Note 7 for further information related to our Deferred preneed funeral and cemetery receipts held in trust.
Maturity dates of our fixed income securities range from 2014 to 2043. Maturities of fixed income securities, excluding mutual funds, at March 31, 2014 are estimated as follows:
	Fair Value
	(In thousands)
Due in one year or less	$	132,873
Due in one to five years	54,732
Due in five to ten years	40,276
Thereafter	29,471
	$	257,352
Earnings from all our funeral merchandise and service trust investments are recognized in funeral revenues when a service is performed or merchandise is delivered. Fees charged by our wholly-owned registered investment advisor are also included in current revenues in the period in which they are earned. In addition, we are entitled to retain, in certain jurisdictions, a portion of collected customer payments when a customer cancels a preneed contract; these amounts are also recognized in current revenues. Recognized trust fund income (realized and unrealized) related to these trust investments were $16.1 million and $12.3 million for the three months ended March 31, 2014 and 2013, respectively.
We assess our trust investments for other-than-temporary declines in fair value on a quarterly basis. Impairment charges resulting from this assessment are recognized as investment losses in Other income (expense), net and a decrease to Preneed funeral receivables, net and trust investments. These investment losses, if any, are offset by the corresponding reclassification in Other income (expense), net, which reduces Deferred preneed funeral receipts held in trust. See Note 7 for further information related to our Deferred preneed funeral receipts held in trust. For the three months ended March 31, 2014 and 2013, we recorded a $0.3 million and a $0.2 million impairment charge, respectively, for other-than-temporary declines in fair value related to unrealized losses on certain investments.
We have determined that the remaining unrealized losses in our funeral merchandise and service trust investments are considered temporary in nature, as the unrealized losses were due to temporary fluctuations in interest rates and equity prices. The investments are diversified across multiple industry segments using a balanced allocation strategy to minimize long-term risk. We believe that none of the remaining securities are other-than-temporarily impaired based on our analysis of the investments. Our analysis included a review of the portfolio holdings and discussions with the individual money managers as to the sector exposures, credit ratings and the severity and duration of the unrealized losses. Our funeral merchandise and service trust investment unrealized losses, their associated fair values, and the duration of unrealized losses as of March 31, 2014 and December 31, 2013, respectively, are shown in the following tables:
	March 31, 2014
	In Loss Position								In Loss Position								Total
	Less Than 12 Months								Greater Than 12 Months
	Fair				Unrealized				Fair				Unrealized				Fair		Unrealized
	Value				Losses				Value				Losses				Value		Losses
									(In thousands)
Fixed income securities:
U.S. Treasury	$	22,414			$	(2,141	)		$	19,008			$	(2,080	)		$	41,422	$	(4,221	)
Canadian government	4,831				(44		)		16,869				(1,022		)		21,700		(1,066		)
Corporate	17,003				(288		)		1,182				(73		)		18,185		(361		)
Residential mortgage-backed	1,250				(24		)		138				(9		)		1,388		(33		)
Equity securities:
Preferred stock	1,395				(45		)		—				—				1,395		(45		)
Common stock:
United States	87,310				(5,886		)		2,539				(511		)		89,849		(6,397		)
Canada	7,257				(349		)		1,720				(621		)		8,977		(970		)
Other international	4,373				(450		)		307				(30		)		4,680		(480		)
Mutual funds:
Equity	19,712				(400		)		12,319				(1,732		)		32,031		(2,132		)
Fixed income	52,303				(1,978		)		54,279				(13,822		)		106,582		(15,800		)
Private equity	—				—				13,265				(8,123		)		13,265		(8,123		)
Total temporarily impaired securities	$	217,848			$	(11,605	)		$	121,626			$	(28,023	)		$	339,474	$	(39,628	)
	December 31, 2013
	In Loss Position								In Loss Position								Total
	Less Than 12 Months								Greater Than 12 Months
	Fair				Unrealized				Fair				Unrealized				Fair		Unrealized
	Value				Losses				Value				Losses				Value		Losses
									(In thousands)
Fixed income securities:
U.S. Treasury	$	28,693			$	(3,595	)		$	19,351			$	(2,004	)		$	48,044	$	(5,599	)
Canadian government	9,546				(120		)		18,981				(993		)		28,527		(1,113		)
Corporate	21,357				(346		)		5,654				(345		)		27,011		(691		)
Residential mortgage-backed	1,381				(25		)		172				(8		)		1,553		(33		)
Asset-backed	3,275				(10		)		—				—				3,275		(10		)
Equity securities:
Preferred stock	14,028				(235		)		—				—				14,028		(235		)
Common stock:
United States	46,544				(2,153		)		3,327				(775		)		49,871		(2,928		)
Canada	2,433				(576		)		1,992				(641		)		4,425		(1,217		)
Other international	3,396				(138		)		369				(60		)		3,765		(198		)
Mutual funds:
Equity	16,206				(337		)		12,456				(1,966		)		28,662		(2,303		)
Fixed income	143,846				(4,984		)		38,217				(14,593		)		182,063		(19,577		)
Private equity	—				—				13,002				(8,726		)		13,002		(8,726		)
Other	—				—				527				(33		)		527		(33		)
Total temporarily impaired securities	$	290,705			$	(12,519	)		$	114,048			$	(30,144	)		$	404,753	$	(42,663	)

Preneed_Cemetery_Activities_No

Preneed Cemetery Activities (Notes) (Cemetery [Member])	3 Months Ended
	Mar. 31, 2014
Cemetery [Member]	'
Preneed Cemetery Activities Text Block	'
	Preneed Cemetery Activities
	Preneed cemetery receivables, net and trust investments represent trust investments, including investment earnings, and customer receivables, net of unearned finance charges, for contracts sold in advance of when the property interment rights, merchandise, or services are needed. Our cemetery merchandise and service trusts are variable interest entities as defined in the Consolidation Topic of the ASC. In accordance with this guidance, we have determined that we are the primary beneficiary of these trusts, as we absorb a majority of the losses and returns associated with these trusts. The trust investments detailed in Notes 4 and 6 are also accounted for as variable interest entities. When we receive payments from the customer, we deposit the amount required by law into the trust and reclassify the corresponding amount from Deferred preneed cemetery revenues into Deferred preneed funeral and cemetery receipts held in trust. Amounts are withdrawn from the trusts when the contract obligations are performed. Cash flows from preneed cemetery contracts are presented as operating cash flows in our unaudited condensed consolidated statement of cash flows.
	Preneed cemetery receivables, net and trust investments are reduced by the trust investment earnings (realized and unrealized) that we have been allowed to withdraw in certain states prior to maturity. These earnings are recorded in Deferred preneed cemetery revenues until the service is performed or the merchandise is delivered.
	The table below sets forth certain investment-related activities associated with our preneed cemetery merchandise and service trusts:
		Three Months Ended
		March 31,
		2014				2013
		(In thousands)
	Deposits	$	28,271			$	25,268
	Withdrawals	34,348				29,881
	Purchases of available-for-sale securities	98,758				105,722
	Sales of available-for-sale securities	92,317				125,743
	Realized gains from sales of available-for-sale securities	25,532				16,576
	Realized losses from sales of available-for-sale securities	(2,299		)		(2,170		)
	The components of Preneed cemetery receivables, net and trust investments in our unaudited condensed consolidated balance sheet at March 31, 2014 and December 31, 2013 are as follows:
		March 31, 2014				December 31, 2013
		(In thousands)
	Trust investments, at fair value	$	1,551,178			$	1,553,719
	Cash and cash equivalents	144,265				138,459
	Assets associated with businesses held for sale	(112,275		)		(107,481		)
	Insurance-backed fixed income securities	4				4
	Trust investments	1,583,172				1,584,701
	Receivables from customers	799,992				800,005
	Unearned finance charges	(28,163		)		(27,873		)
		2,355,001				2,356,833
	Allowance for cancellation	(53,368		)		(55,922		)
	Preneed cemetery receivables, net and trust investments	$	2,301,633			$	2,300,911
	The cost and fair values associated with our cemetery merchandise and service trust investments recorded at fair value at March 31, 2014 and December 31, 2013 are detailed below. Cost reflects the investment (net of redemptions) of control holders in common trust funds, mutual funds, and private equity investments. Fair value represents the market value of the underlying securities held by the common trust funds, mutual funds at published values, and the estimated fair value of private equity investments.
		March 31, 2014
		Fair Value Hierarchy Level		Cost				Unrealized				Unrealized				Fair
								Gains				Losses				Value
								(In thousands)
	Fixed income securities:
	U.S. Treasury	2		$	95,784			$	1,889			$	(6,555	)		$	91,118
	Canadian government	2		17,872				197				(115		)		17,954
	Corporate	2		45,148				6,188				(401		)		50,935
	Residential mortgage-backed	2		395				3				(3		)		395
	Asset-backed	2		3,317				81				—				3,398
	Equity securities:
	Preferred stock	2		14,871				1,216				(45		)		16,042
	Common stock:
	United States	1		434,792				138,660				(5,770		)		567,682
	Canada	1		14,972				4,235				(891		)		18,316
	Other international	1		42,993				9,336				(779		)		51,550
	Mutual funds:
	Equity	1		333,407				51,731				(1,485		)		383,653
	Fixed income	1		341,016				7,690				(27,343		)		321,363
	Private equity	3		28,281				3,924				(4,686		)		27,519
	Other	3		1,043				216				(6		)		1,253
	Trust investments			$	1,373,891			$	225,366			$	(48,079	)		$	1,551,178
		December 31, 2013
		Fair Value Hierarchy Level		Cost				Unrealized				Unrealized				Fair
								Gains				Losses				Value
								(In thousands)
	Fixed income securities:
	U.S. Treasury	2		$	113,621			$	1,714			$	(8,876	)		$	106,459
	Canadian government	2		17,073				170				(261		)		16,982
	Corporate	2		48,970				5,262				(646		)		53,586
	Residential mortgage-backed	2		408				2				(2		)		408
	Asset-backed	2		3,346				—				(13		)		3,333
	Equity securities:
	Preferred stock	2		16,708				1,106				(123		)		17,691
	Common stock:
United States	1		425,246				147,258				(3,231		)		569,273
Canada	1		15,368				4,063				(935		)		18,496
Other international	1		44,184				10,079				(200		)		54,063
Mutual funds:
Equity	1		327,084				49,428				(1,704		)		374,808
Fixed income	1		338,944				5,236				(33,649		)		310,531
Private equity	3		28,625				3,372				(5,153		)		26,844
Other	3		1,078				200				(33		)		1,245
Trust investments			$	1,380,655			$	227,890			$	(54,826	)		$	1,553,719
Where quoted prices are available in an active market, securities held by the common trust funds and mutual funds are classified as Level 1 investments pursuant to the three-level valuation hierarchy as required by the FVM&D Topic of the ASC.
Where quoted market prices are not available for the specific security, fair values are estimated by using either quoted prices of securities with similar characteristics or an income approach fair value model with observable inputs that include a combination of interest rates, yield curves, credit risks, prepayment speeds, rating, and tax-exempt status. These funds are classified as Level 2 investments pursuant to the three-level valuation hierarchy as required by the FVM&D Topic of the ASC.
The valuation of private equity and other alternative investments requires management judgment due to the absence of quoted market prices, inherent lack of liquidity, and the long-term nature of such assets. The fair value of these investments is estimated based on the market value of the underlying real estate and private equity investments. The underlying real estate value is determined using the most recent available appraisals. Private equity instruments are valued based on reported net asset values discounted by 0% to 20% for risk and 0% to 10% for liquidity. A significant increase (decrease) in the discounts results in a directionally opposite change in the fair value of the instruments. Valuation policies and procedures are determined by our Trust Services department, which reports to our Chief Financial Officer.  Additionally, valuations are reviewed by our investment committee quarterly. These funds are classified as Level 3 investments pursuant to the three-level valuation hierarchy as required by the FVM&D Topic of the ASC.
As of March 31, 2014, our unfunded commitment for our private equity and other investments was $7.8 million which, if called, would be funded by the assets of the trusts. Our private equity and other investments include several funds that invest in limited partnerships, distressed debt, real estate, and mezzanine financing. These investments can never be redeemed by the funds. Instead, the nature of the investments in this category is that the distributions are received through the liquidation of the underlying assets of the funds. We estimate that the underlying assets will be liquidated over the next 2 to 10 years.
The change in our market-based cemetery merchandise and service trust investments with significant unobservable inputs (Level 3) is as follows (in thousands):
	Three Months Ended
	March 31, 2014								31-Mar-13
	Private Equity				Other				Private Equity				Other
Fair value, beginning balance	$	26,844			$	1,245			$	17,687			$	450
Net unrealized gains included in Accumulated other comprehensive income(1)	1,487				9				11,400				587
Net realized losses included in Other income (expense), net(2)	(8		)		(1		)		(7		)		(2		)
Contributions	499				—				662				—
Distributions	(1,303		)		—				(3,785		)		—
Fair value, ending balance	$	27,519			$	1,253			$	25,957			$	1,035
-1	All unrealized gains (losses) recognized in Accumulated other comprehensive income for our cemetery merchandise and service trust investments are attributable to our preneed customers and are offset by a corresponding reclassification in Accumulated other comprehensive income to Deferred preneed funeral and cemetery receipts held in trust. See Note 7 for further information related to our Deferred preneed funeral and cemetery receipts held in trust.
-2	All losses recognized in Other income (expense), net for our cemetery merchandise and service trust investments are attributable to our preneed customers and are offset by a corresponding reclassification in Other income (expense), net to Deferred preneed funeral and cemetery receipts held in trust. See Note 7 for further information related to our Deferred preneed funeral and cemetery receipts held in trust.
Maturity dates of our fixed income securities range from 2014 to 2043. Maturities of fixed income securities, excluding mutual funds, at March 31, 2014 are estimated as follows:
	Fair Value
	(In thousands)
Due in one year or less	$	8,842
Due in one to five years	71,928
Due in five to ten years	36,756
Thereafter	46,274
	$	163,800
Earnings from all our cemetery merchandise and service trust investments are recognized in current cemetery revenues when a service is performed or merchandise is delivered. Fees charged by our wholly-owned registered investment advisor are also included in current revenues in the period in which they are earned. In addition, we are entitled to retain, in certain jurisdictions, a portion of collected customer payments when a customer cancels a preneed contract; these amounts are also recognized in current revenues. Recognized trust fund income (realized and unrealized) related to these trust investments were $11.5 million and $9.2 million for the three months ended March 31, 2014 and 2013, respectively.
We assess our trust investments for other-than-temporary declines in fair value on a quarterly basis. Impairment charges resulting from this assessment are recognized as investment losses in Other income (expense), net and a decrease to Preneed cemetery receivables, net and trust investments. These investment losses, if any, are offset by the corresponding reclassification in Other income (expense), net, which reduces Deferred preneed cemetery receipts held in trust. See Note 7 for further information related to our Deferred preneed cemetery receipts held in trust. For the three months ended March 31, 2014 and 2013, we recorded a $0.3 million and a $0.4 million impairment charge, respectively, for other-than-temporary declines in fair value related to unrealized losses on certain investments.
We have determined that the remaining unrealized losses in our cemetery merchandise and service trust investments are considered temporary in nature, as the unrealized losses were due to temporary fluctuations in interest rates and equity prices. The investments are diversified across multiple industry segments using a balanced allocation strategy to minimize long-term risk. We believe that none of the remaining securities are other-than-temporarily impaired based on our analysis of the investments. Our analysis included a review of the portfolio holdings and discussions with the individual money managers as to the sector exposures, credit ratings, and the severity and duration of the unrealized losses. Our cemetery merchandise and service trust investment unrealized losses, their associated fair values and the duration of unrealized losses as of March 31, 2014 are shown in the following tables:
	March 31, 2014
	In Loss Position								In Loss Position								Total
	Less Than 12 Months								Greater Than 12 Months
	Fair				Unrealized				Fair				Unrealized				Fair		Unrealized
	Value				Losses				Value				Losses				Value		Losses
									(In thousands)
Fixed income securities:
U.S. Treasury	$	38,848			$	(4,286	)		$	19,559			$	(2,269	)		58,407		(6,555		)
Canadian government	11,259				(82		)		1,113				(33		)		12,372		(115		)
Corporate	10,154				(271		)		2,718				(130		)		12,872		(401		)
Residential mortgage-backed	169				(3		)		4				—				173		(3		)
Equity securities:
Preferred stock	2,260				(45		)		—				—				2,260		(45		)
Common stock:
United States	82,419				(5,575		)		2,909				(195		)		85,328		(5,770		)
Canada	1,843				(123		)		2,395				(768		)		4,238		(891		)
Other international	8,190				(699		)		625				(80		)		8,815		(779		)
Mutual funds:
Equity	2,199				(27		)		14,643				(1,458		)		16,842		(1,485		)
Fixed income	84,375				(2,637		)		69,182				(24,706		)		153,557		(27,343		)
Private equity	—				—				6,707				(4,686		)		6,707		(4,686		)
Other	—				—				279				(6		)		279		(6		)
Total temporarily impaired securities	$	241,716			$	(13,748	)		$	120,134			$	(34,331	)		$	361,850	$	(48,079	)
	December 31, 2013
	In Loss Position								In Loss Position								Total
	Less Than 12 Months								Greater Than 12 Months
	Fair				Unrealized				Fair				Unrealized				Fair		Unrealized
	Value				Losses				Value				Losses				Value		Losses
									(In thousands)
Fixed income securities:
U.S. Treasury	$	45,120			$	(6,040	)		$	25,043			$	(2,836	)		$	70,163	$	(8,876	)
Canadian government	9,424				(120		)		3,066				(141		)		12,490		(261		)
Corporate	15,050				(424		)		3,073				(222		)		18,123		(646		)
Residential mortgage-backed	145				(2		)		2				—				147		(2		)
Asset-backed	3,257				(13		)		—				—				3,257		(13		)
Equity securities:
Preferred stock	5,604				(123		)		—				—				5,604		(123		)
Common stock:
United States	46,317				(2,648		)		3,489				(583		)		49,806		(3,231		)
Canada	1,569				(502		)		1,935				(433		)		3,504		(935		)
Other international	4,344				(124		)		702				(76		)		5,046		(200		)
Mutual funds:
Equity	3,858				(54		)		14,477				(1,650		)		18,335		(1,704		)
Fixed income	134,669				(5,527		)		64,009				(28,122		)		198,678		(33,649		)
Private equity	—				—				6,589				(5,153		)		6,589		(5,153		)
Other	—				—				282				(33		)		282		(33		)
Total temporarily impaired securities	$	269,357			$	(15,577	)		$	122,667			$	(39,249	)		$	392,024	$	(54,826	)

Cemetery_Perpetual_Care_Trusts

Cemetery Perpetual Care Trusts (Notes) (Cemetery Perpetual Care [Member])	3 Months Ended
	Mar. 31, 2014
Cemetery Perpetual Care [Member]	'
Cemetery Perpetual Care Trusts Text Block	'
	Cemetery Perpetual Care Trusts
	We are required by state and provincial law to pay into cemetery perpetual care trusts a portion of the proceeds from the sale of cemetery property interment rights. Our cemetery perpetual care trusts are variable interest entities as defined in the Consolidation Topic of the ASC. In accordance with this guidance, we have determined that we are the primary beneficiary of these trusts, as we absorb a majority of the losses and returns associated with these trusts. The merchandise and service trust investments detailed in Notes 4 and 5 are also accounted for as variable interest entities. We consolidate our cemetery perpetual care trust investments with a corresponding amount recorded as Care trusts’ corpus. Cash flows from cemetery perpetual care trusts are presented as operating cash flows in our unaudited condensed consolidated statement of cash flows.
	The table below sets forth certain investment-related activities associated with our cemetery perpetual care trusts:
		Three Months Ended
		March 31,
		2014				2013
		(In thousands)
	Deposits	$	11,837			$	8,228
	Withdrawals	5,885				9,569
	Purchases of available-for-sale securities	38,895				35,052
	Sales of available-for-sale securities	30,072				27,490
	Realized gains from sales of available-for-sale securities	5,045				3,782
	Realized losses from sales of available-for-sale securities	(337		)		(322		)
	The components of Cemetery perpetual care trust investments in our unaudited condensed consolidated balance sheet at March 31, 2014 and December 31, 2013 are as follows:
		March 31, 2014				December 31, 2013
		(In thousands)
	Trust investments, at fair value	$	1,373,613			$	1,352,539
	Cash and cash equivalents	81,773				78,509
	Assets associated with businesses held for sale	(112,797		)		(83,426		)
	Cemetery perpetual care trust investments	$	1,342,589			$	1,347,622
	The cost and fair values associated with our cemetery perpetual care trust investments recorded at fair value at March 31, 2014 and December 31, 2013 are detailed below. Cost reflects the investment (net of redemptions) of control holders in common trust funds, mutual funds, and private equity investments. Fair value represents the value of the underlying securities or cash held by the common trust funds, mutual funds at published values, and the estimated fair value of private equity investments.
		March 31, 2014
		Fair Value Hierarchy Level		Cost				Unrealized				Unrealized				Fair
								Gains				Losses				Value
								(In thousands)
	Fixed income securities:
	U.S. Treasury	2		$	1,675			$	18			$	(11	)		$	1,682
	Canadian government	2		29,208				346				(204		)		29,350
	Corporate	2		41,561				733				(309		)		41,985
	Residential mortgage-backed	2		4,280				34				(15		)		4,299
	Asset-backed	2		3,001				67				(4		)		3,064
	Equity securities:
	Preferred stock	2		26,495				1,431				(62		)		27,864
	Common stock:
	United States	1		232,619				54,271				(2,301		)		284,589
	Canada	1		8,446				2,389				(579		)		10,256
	Other international	1		21,341				1,863				(166		)		23,038
	Mutual funds:
	Equity	1		40,452				7,385				(27		)		47,810
	Fixed income	1		822,406				45,882				(1,130		)		867,158
	Private equity	3		29,074				485				(8,753		)		20,806
	Other	3		10,571				1,151				(10		)		11,712
	Cemetery perpetual care trust investments			$	1,271,129			$	116,055			$	(13,571	)		$	1,373,613
		December 31, 2013
		Fair Value Hierarchy Level		Cost				Unrealized				Unrealized				Fair
								Gains				Losses				Value
								(In thousands)
	Fixed income securities:
	U.S. Treasury	2		$	1,588			$	9			$	(14	)		$	1,583
	Canadian government	2		28,487				301				(459		)		28,329
	Corporate	2		43,196				312				(263		)		43,245
	Residential mortgage-backed	2		4,258				14				(19		)		4,253
	Asset-backed	2		3,006				5				(11		)		3,000
	Equity securities:
	Preferred stock	2		25,952				192				(252		)		25,892
	Common stock:
	United States	1		231,156				53,782				(2,087		)		282,851
	Canada	1		8,846				2,222				(623		)		10,445
	Other international	1		20,676				1,319				(167		)		21,828
	Mutual funds:
	Equity	1		41,282				5,693				(35		)		46,940
	Fixed income	1		819,439				35,963				(2,598		)		852,804
	Private equity	3		28,309				472				(9,002		)		19,779
Other	3		10,521				1,153				(84		)		11,590
Cemetery perpetual care trust investments			$	1,266,716			$	101,437			$	(15,614	)		$	1,352,539
Where quoted prices are available in an active market, securities held by the common trust funds and mutual funds are classified as Level 1 investments pursuant to the three-level valuation hierarchy as required by the FVM&D Topic of the ASC.
Where quoted market prices are not available for the specific security, fair values are estimated by using either quoted prices of securities with similar characteristics or an income approach fair value model with observable inputs that include a combination of interest rates, yield curves, credit risks, prepayment speeds, rating, and tax-exempt status. These funds are classified as Level 2 investments pursuant to the three-level valuation hierarchy as required by the FVM&D Topic of the ASC.
The valuation of private equity and other alternative investments requires management judgment due to the absence of quoted market prices, inherent lack of liquidity, and the long-term nature of such assets. The fair value of these investments is estimated based on the market value of the underlying real estate and private equity investments. The underlying real estate value is determined using the most recent available appraisals. Private equity instruments are valued based on reported net asset values discounted by 0% to 20% for risk and 0% to 10% for liquidity. A significant increase (decrease) in the discounts results in a directionally opposite change in the fair value of the instruments.Valuation policies and procedures are determined by our Trust Services department, which reports to our Chief Financial Officer.  Additionally, valuations are reviewed by our investment committee quarterly. These funds are classified as Level 3 investments pursuant to the three-level valuation hierarchy as required by the FVM&D Topic of the ASC.
As of March 31, 2014, our unfunded commitment for our private equity and other investments was $0.7 million which, if called, would be funded by the assets of the trusts. Our private equity and other investments include several funds that invest in limited partnerships, distressed debt, real estate, and mezzanine financing. These investments can never be redeemed by the funds. Instead, the nature of the investments in this category is that the distributions are received through the liquidation of the underlying assets of the funds. We estimate that the underlying assets will be liquidated over the next 2 to 10 years.
The change in our market-based cemetery perpetual care trust investments with significant unobservable inputs (Level 3) is as follows (in thousands):
	Three Months Ended
	March 31, 2014								March 31, 2013
	Private Equity				Other				Private Equity				Other
Fair value, beginning balance	$	19,779			$	11,590			$	11,122			$	7,659
Net unrealized gains included in Accumulated other comprehensive income(1)	727				128				6,069				2,729
Net realized losses included in Other income (expense), net(2)	(12		)		(6		)		(82		)		(46		)
Sales	(17		)		—				—				—
Contributions	694				—				1				—
Distributions	(365		)		—				(656		)		—
Fair value, ending balance	$	20,806			$	11,712			$	16,454			$	10,342
-1	All unrealized gains recognized in Accumulated other comprehensive income for our cemetery perpetual care trust investments are offset by a corresponding reclassification in Accumulated other comprehensive income to Care trusts’ corpus. See Note 7 for further information related to our Care trusts’ corpus.
-2	All losses recognized in Other income (expense), net for our cemetery perpetual care trust investments are offset by a corresponding reclassification in Other income (expense), net to Care trusts’ corpus. See Note 7 for further information related to our Care trusts’ corpus.
Maturity dates of our fixed income securities range from 2014 to 2043. Maturities of fixed income securities at March 31, 2014 are estimated as follows:
	Fair Value
	(In thousands)
Due in one year or less	$	15,236
Due in one to five years	35,515
Due in five to ten years	24,753
Thereafter	4,876
	$	80,380
Distributable earnings from these cemetery perpetual care trust investments are recognized in current cemetery revenues to the extent we incur qualifying cemetery maintenance costs. Fees charged by our wholly-owned registered investment advisor are also included in current revenues in the period in which they are earned. Recognized trust fund income related to these trust investments were $13.3 million and $10.0 million for the three months ended March 31, 2014 and 2013, respectively.
We assess our trust investments for other-than-temporary declines in fair value on a quarterly basis. Impairment charges resulting from this assessment are recognized as investment losses in Other income (expense), net and a decrease to Cemetery perpetual care trust investments. These investment losses, if any, are offset by the corresponding reclassification in Other income (expense), net, which reduces Care trusts’ corpus. See Note 7 for further information related to our Care trusts’ corpus. For the three months ended March 31, 2014 there was no impairment charge for other-than-temporary declines in fair value related to unrealized losses on certain investments. For the three months ended March 31, 2013, we recorded a $0.1 million impairment charge for other-than-temporary declines in fair value related to unrealized losses on certain investments.
We have determined that the remaining unrealized losses in our cemetery perpetual care trust investments are considered temporary in nature, as the unrealized losses were due to temporary fluctuations in interest rates and equity prices. The investments are diversified across multiple industry segments using a balanced allocation strategy to minimize long-term risk. We believe that none of the remaining securities are other-than-temporarily impaired based on our analysis of the investments. Our analysis included a review of the portfolio holdings, and discussions with the individual money managers as to the sector exposures, credit ratings, and the severity and duration of the unrealized losses. Our cemetery perpetual care trust investment unrealized losses, their associated fair values and the duration of unrealized losses, are shown in the following tables.
	March 31, 2014
	In Loss Position								In Loss Position								Total
	Less Than 12 Months								Greater Than 12 Months
	Fair				Unrealized				Fair				Unrealized				Fair		Unrealized
	Value				Losses				Value				Losses				Value		Losses
									(In thousands)
Fixed income securities:
U.S. Treasury	$	1,247			$	(11	)		$	2			$	—			$	1,249	$	(11	)
Canadian government	18,422				(146		)		1,818				(58		)		20,240		(204		)
Corporate	15,687				(148		)		3,204				(161		)		18,891		(309		)
Residential mortgage-backed	685				(14		)		11				(1		)		696		(15		)
Asset-backed	391				(4		)		15				—				406		(4		)
Equity securities:
Preferred stock	3,362				(57		)		46				(5		)		3,408		(62		)
Common stock:
United States	25,383				(1,519		)		2,755				(782		)		28,138		(2,301		)
Canada	1,233				(35		)		1,664				(544		)		2,897		(579		)
Other international	1,847				(21		)		1,020				(145		)		2,867		(166		)
Mutual funds:
Equity	397				(15		)		118				(12		)		515		(27		)
Fixed income	49,171				(893		)		9,632				(237		)		58,803		(1,130		)
Private equity	—				—				20,256				(8,753		)		20,256		(8,753		)
Other	14				(10		)		9,891				—				9,905		(10		)
Total temporarily impaired securities	$	117,839			$	(2,873	)		$	50,432			$	(10,698	)		$	168,271	$	(13,571	)
	December 31, 2013
	In Loss Position								In Loss Position								Total
	Less Than 12 Months								Greater Than 12 Months
	Fair				Unrealized				Fair				Unrealized				Fair		Unrealized
	Value				Losses				Value				Losses				Value		Losses
									(In thousands)
Fixed income securities:
U.S. Treasury	$	1,339			$	(14	)		$	20			$	—			$	1,359	$	(14	)
Canadian government	15,777				(214		)		5,131				(245		)		20,908		(459		)
Corporate	22,534				(129		)		3,299				(134		)		25,833		(263		)
Residential mortgage-backed	2,960				(18		)		10				(1		)		2,970		(19		)
Asset-backed	2,835				(10		)		15				(1		)		2,850		(11		)
Equity securities:
Preferred stock	14,650				(245		)		44				(7		)		14,694		(252		)
Common stock:
United States	23,825				(1,561		)		3,254				(526		)		27,079		(2,087		)
Canada	667				(129		)		1,794				(494		)		2,461		(623		)
Other international	1,540				(54		)		525				(113		)		2,065		(167		)
Mutual funds:
Equity	391				(14		)		163				(21		)		554		(35		)
Fixed income	181,701				(2,090		)		28,507				(508		)		210,208		(2,598		)
Private equity	—				—				19,242				(9,002		)		19,242		(9,002		)
Other	—				—				9,738				(84		)		9,738		(84		)
Total temporarily impaired securities	$	268,219			$	(4,478	)		$	71,742			$	(11,136	)		$	339,961	$	(15,614	)

Deferred_Preneed_Funeral_and_C

Deferred Preneed Funeral and Cemetery Receipts Held in Trust and Care Trusts' Corpus (Notes)	3 Months Ended
	Mar. 31, 2014
Deferred Preneed Funeral and Cemetery Receipts Held in Trust and Care Trusts' Corpus [Abstract]	'
Deferred Preneed Funeral And Cemetery Receipts Held In Trust And Care Trusts Corpus Text Block	'
	Deferred Preneed Funeral and Cemetery Receipts Held in Trust and Care Trusts’ Corpus
	Deferred Preneed Funeral and Cemetery Receipts Held in Trust
	We consolidate the merchandise and service trusts associated with our preneed funeral and cemetery activities in accordance with the Consolidation Topic of the ASC. Although the guidance requires the consolidation of the merchandise and service trusts, it does not change the legal relationships among the trusts, us, or our customers. The customers are the legal beneficiaries of these merchandise and service trusts, and therefore their interests in these trusts represent a liability to us.
	The components of Deferred preneed funeral and cemetery receipts held in trust in our unaudited condensed consolidated balance sheet at March 31, 2014 and December 31, 2013 are detailed below.
		March 31, 2014									December 31, 2013
		Preneed			Preneed			Total			Preneed			Preneed			Total
		Funeral			Cemetery						Funeral			Cemetery
		(In thousands)									(In thousands)
	Trust investments	$	1,667,134		$	1,583,172		$	3,250,306		$	1,668,691		$	1,584,701		$	3,253,392
	Accrued trust operating payables and other	(1,934		)	(2,743		)	(4,677		)	(1,108		)	(1,698		)	(2,806		)
	Deferred preneed funeral and cemetery receipts held in trust	$	1,665,200		$	1,580,429		$	3,245,629		$	1,667,583		$	1,583,003		$	3,250,586
	Care Trusts’ Corpus
	The Care trusts’ corpus reflected in our unaudited condensed consolidated balance sheet represents the cemetery perpetual care trusts, including the related accrued expenses.
	The components of Care trusts’ corpus in our unaudited condensed consolidated balance sheet at March 31, 2014 and December 31, 2013 are detailed below.
		March 31, 2014			December 31, 2013
		(In thousands)
	Cemetery perpetual care trust investments	$	1,342,589		$	1,347,622
	Accrued trust operating payables and other	(2,228		)	(1,748		)
	Care trusts’ corpus	$	1,340,361		$	1,345,874
	Other Income (Expense), Net
	The components of Other income (expense), net in our unaudited condensed consolidated statement of operations for the three months ended March 31, 2014 and 2013 are detailed below. See Notes 4, 5, and 6 for further discussion of the amounts related to the funeral, cemetery, and cemetery perpetual care trusts.
		Three Months Ended March 31, 2014
		Funeral			Cemetery			Cemetery Perpetual			Other, Net			Total
		Trusts			Trusts			Care Trusts
					(In thousands)
	Realized gains	$	16,101		$	25,532		$	5,045		$	—		$	46,678
	Realized losses	(1,474		)	(2,299		)	(337		)	—			(4,110		)
	Impairment charges	(251		)	(339		)	(40		)	—			(630		)
	Interest, dividend, and other ordinary income	5,574			2,495			9,586			—			17,655
	Trust expenses and income taxes	(4,467		)	(4,815		)	(1,547		)	—			(10,829		)
	Net trust investment income	15,483			20,574			12,707			—			48,764
	Reclassification to deferred preneed funeral and cemetery receipts held in trust and care trusts’ corpus	(15,483		)	(20,574		)	(12,707		)	—			(48,764		)
	Other income (expense), net	—			—			—			1,534			1,534
	Total other income, net	$	—		$	—		$	—		$	1,534		$	1,534
		Three Months Ended March 31, 2013
		Funeral			Cemetery			Cemetery Perpetual			Other, Net			Total
		Trusts			Trusts			Care Trusts
					(In thousands)
	Realized gains	$	11,371		$	16,576		$	3,782		$	—		$	31,729
	Realized losses	(1,721		)	(2,170		)	(322		)	—			(4,213		)
	Impairment charges	(200		)	(357		)	(63		)	—			(620		)
	Interest, dividend, and other ordinary income	1,817			1,529			6,089			—			9,435
	Trust expenses and income taxes	(2,381		)	(3,669		)	(575		)	—			(6,625		)
	Net trust investment income	8,886			11,909			8,911			—			29,706
	Reclassification to deferred preneed funeral and cemetery receipts held in trust and care trusts’ corpus	(8,886		)	(11,909		)	(8,911		)	—			(29,706		)
	Other income (expense), net	—			—			—			(984		)	(984		)
	Total other income, net	$	—		$	—		$	—		$	(984	)	$	(984	)

Income_Taxes_Notes

Income Taxes (Notes)	3 Months Ended
	Mar. 31, 2014
Income Taxes [Abstract]	'
Income Tax Disclosure [Text Block]	'
	Income Taxes
	Income tax expense during interim periods is based on our estimated annual effective income tax rate plus any discrete items which are recorded in the period in which they occur. Discrete items include, among others, such events as changes in estimates due to the finalization of tax returns, tax audit settlements, expiration of statute of limitations, and increases or decreases in valuation allowances on deferred tax assets. Our effective tax rate was 35.4% and 37.5% for the three months ended March 31, 2014 and 2013, respectively. The lower effective tax rate for the three months ended March 31, 2014 is primarily due to the benefits associated with the Stewart acquisition coupled with state legislative changes partially offset by an increase in our liability related to unrecognized tax benefits. The effective tax rate for the first quarter of 2014 is above the 35% federal statutory tax rate due to state tax expense which is partially offset by state legislative changes and foreign earnings taxed at lower rates.
	Unrecognized Tax Benefits
	As of March 31, 2014, the gross amount of our unrecognized tax benefits was $136.9 million and the gross amount of our accrued interest was $45.3 million. Additional interest expense of $0.7 million was accrued.
	A number of years may elapse before particular tax matters, for which we have unrecognized tax benefits, are settled. While we have effectively concluded our 2003 through 2005 tax years with respect to our affiliate the COOP, SCI and Subsidiaries' tax years 1999 through 2005 remain under review at the IRS Appeals level. SCI and Subsidiaries received a letter of no change to its tax liability for the years 2008 through 2010. Furthermore, SCI and its affiliates are under audit by various state and foreign jurisdictions for years through 2012. The outcome of each of these audits cannot be predicted at this time. It is reasonably possible that the amount of our unrecognized tax benefits could significantly increase or decrease over the next twelve months either because we prevail on positions or because the tax authorities prevail. Due to the uncertainty regarding the timing of completion of audits and possible outcomes, a current estimate of the range of increases or decreases that may occur within the next twelve months cannot be made.

Debt_Notes

Debt (Notes)	3 Months Ended
	Mar. 31, 2014
Debt [Abstract]	'
Debt Disclosure [Text Block]	'
	Debt
	Debt as of March 31, 2014 and December 31, 2013 was as follows:
		March 31, 2014			December 31, 2013
		(In thousands)
	3.125% Senior Convertible Notes due July 2014	$	95		$	85,256
	6.75% Senior Notes due April 2015	136,465			136,465
	6.75% Senior Notes due April 2016	197,377			197,377
	3.375% Senior Convertible Notes due July 2016	154			46,279
	7.0% Senior Notes due June 2017	295,000			295,000
	7.625% Senior Notes due October 2018	250,000			250,000
	6.5% Senior Notes due April 2019	200,000			200,000
	7.0% Senior Notes due May 2019	250,000			250,000
	4.5% Senior Notes due November 2020	200,000			200,000
	8.0% Senior Notes due November 2021	150,000			150,000
	5.375% Senior Notes due January 2022	425,000			425,000
	7.5% Senior Notes due April 2027	200,000			200,000
	Term Loan due July 2018	592,500			600,000
	Bank credit facility due July 2018	140,000			30,000
	Obligations under capital leases	192,528			189,697
	Mortgage notes and other debt, maturities through 2050	4,672			4,752
	Unamortized premiums and other, net	5,839			42,084
	Total debt	3,239,630			3,301,910
	Less:
	Current maturities of debt, capital lease obligations, and mortgage notes	(104,284		)	(153,738		)
	Current maturities of unamortized premiums and other, net	(1,421		)	(22,624		)
	Total current maturities	(105,705		)	(176,362		)
	Total long-term debt	$	3,133,925		$	3,125,548
	Current maturities of debt at March 31, 2014 primarily comprise our capital leases and amounts due under our term loan. Our consolidated debt had a weighted average interest rate of 5.38% and 5.25% at March 31, 2014 and December 31, 2013, respectively. Approximately 72% and 76% of our total debt had a fixed interest rate at March 31, 2014 and December 31, 2013, respectively.
	Bank Credit Facility
	The Company has a $500 million bank credit facility due July 2018 with a syndicate of banks, including a sublimit of $175 million for letters of credit.
	As of March 31, 2014, we have $140.0 million outstanding under our Bank credit facility and $31.6 million of letters of credit. The bank credit facility provides us with flexibility for working capital, if needed, and is guaranteed by a majority of our domestic subsidiaries. The subsidiary guaranty is a guaranty of payment of the outstanding amount of the total lending commitment, including letters of credit. The bank credit facility contains certain financial covenants, including a minimum interest coverage ratio, a maximum leverage ratio, and certain dividend and share repurchase restrictions. We pay a quarterly fee on the unused commitment, which was 0.40% at March 31, 2014. As of March 31, 2014, we have $328.4 million in borrowing capacity under the bank credit facility.
	Debt Extinguishments and Reductions
	During the three months ended March 31, 2014, we made debt payments of $181.9 million, including the following scheduled payments and convertible debt payments:
	•	$86.3 million aggregate principal amount of our 3.125% Senior Convertible Notes due July 2014;
	•	$45.0 million aggregate principal amount of our 3.375% Senior Convertible Notes due July 2016;
	•	$21.7 million aggregate unamortized premiums associated with our 3.125% Senior Convertible Notes due July 2014;
	•	$14.2 million aggregate unamortized premiums associated with our 3.375% Senior Convertible Notes due July 2016;
	•	$7.5 million aggregate principal amount of our Term Loan due July 2018; and
	•	$7.2 million in scheduled payments for our capital lease obligations.
	We did not incur any gains or losses as a result of these transactions.
	During the three months ended March 31, 2013, we paid an aggregate of $11.4 million, to repay our remaining 7.875% Debentures due February 2013 and our capital lease obligations.
	Capital Leases
	During the three months ended March 31, 2014 and 2013, we acquired $10.7 million and $14.9 million, respectively, of primarily transportation equipment capital leases.

Credit_Risk_and_Fair_Value_of_

Credit Risk and Fair Value of Financial Instruments (Notes)	3 Months Ended
	Mar. 31, 2014
Credit Risk and Fair Value of Financial Instruments [Abstract]	'
Credit Risk and Fair Value of Financial Instruments [Text Block]	'
	Credit Risk and Fair Value of Financial Instruments
	Fair Value Estimates
	The fair value estimates of the following financial instruments have been determined using available market information and appropriate valuation methodologies. 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.
	The fair value of our debt instruments at March 31, 2014 and December 31, 2013 was as follows:
		March 31, 2014		December 31, 2013
		(In thousands)
	3.125% Senior Convertible Notes due July 2014	$	121	$	106,939
	6.75% Senior Notes due April 2015	143,179		144,653
	6.75% Senior Notes due April 2016	214,647		214,904
	3.375% Senior Convertible Notes due July 2016	185		60,487
	7.0% Senior Notes due June 2017	331,285		333,259
	7.625% Senior Notes due October 2018	288,438		288,875
	6.5% Senior Notes due April 2019	210,000		210,000
	7.0% Senior Notes due May 2019	266,250		270,000
	4.5% Senior Notes due November 2020	196,000		192,610
	8.0% Senior Notes due November 2021	173,625		173,625
	5.375% Senior Notes due January 2022	434,563		431,588
	7.5% Senior Notes due April 2027	216,500		215,750
	Term Loan due July 2018	592,500		600,000
	Bank credit facility due July 2018	140,000		30,000
	Mortgage notes and other debt, maturities through 2050	4,672		4,752
	Total fair value of debt instruments	$	3,211,965	$	3,277,442
	The fair values of our long-term, fixed rate loans were estimated using market prices for those loans, and therefore they are classified within Level 1 of the Fair Value Measurements hierarchy as required by the FVM&D Topic of the ASC. The bank credit agreement and the mortgage and other debt are classified within Level 3 of the Fair Value Measurements hierarchy. The fair values of these instruments have been estimated using discounted cash flow analysis based on our incremental borrowing rate for similar borrowing arrangements. A significant increase (decrease) in the inputs results in a directionally opposite change in the fair value of the instruments.

ShareBased_Compensation_Notes

Share-Based Compensation (Notes)	3 Months Ended
	Mar. 31, 2014
Share-based Compensation [Abstract]	'
Disclosure of Compensation Related Costs, Share-based Payments [Text Block]	'
	Share-Based Compensation
	Stock Benefit Plans
	We utilize the Black-Scholes option valuation model for estimating the fair value of our stock options. This model uses a range of assumptions related to volatility, the risk-free interest rate, the expected life, and the dividend yield. The fair values of our stock options are calculated using the following weighted average assumptions for the three months ended March 31, 2014:
			Three Months Ended
	Assumptions		March 31, 2014
	Dividend yield		1.8	%
	Expected volatility		27.1	%
	Risk-free interest rate		1.1	%
	Expected holding period (in years)		4
	Stock Options
	The following table sets forth stock option activity for the three months ended March 31, 2014:
		Options			Weighted-Average
					Exercise Price
	Outstanding at December 31, 2013	13,319,750			$	9.84
	Granted	2,495,850			$	17.41
	Exercised	(964,403	)		$	8.82
	Outstanding at March 31, 2014	14,851,197			$	11.18
	Exercisable at March 31, 2014	10,339,379			$	9.14
	As of March 31, 2014, the unrecognized compensation expense related to stock options of $14.6 million is expected to be recognized over a weighted average period of 1.6 years.
	Restricted Shares
	Restricted share activity for the three months ended March 31, 2014 was as follows:
		Restricted			Weighted-Average
		shares			Grant-Date
					Fair Value
	Nonvested restricted shares at December 31, 2013	1,183,229			$	11.81
	Granted	344,570			$	17.41
	Vested	(187,549	)		$	11.44
	Nonvested restricted shares at March 31, 2014	1,340,250			$	13.3
	As of March 31, 2014, the unrecognized compensation expense related to restricted shares of $10.8 million is expected to be recognized over a weighted average period of 1.6 years.

Equity_Notes

Equity (Notes)	3 Months Ended
	Mar. 31, 2014
Equity [Abstract]	'
Stockholders' Equity Note Disclosure [Text Block]	'
	Equity
	(All shares reported in whole numbers)
	Our components of Accumulated other comprehensive income are as follows:
		Foreign			Unrealized			Accumulated
		Currency			Gains and			Other
		Translation			Losses			Comprehensive
		Adjustment						Income
					(In thousands)
	Balance at December 31, 2013	$	88,441		$	—		$	88,441
	Activity in 2014	(11,226		)	—			(11,226		)
	Reduction in net unrealized gains associated with available-for-sale securities of the trusts, net of taxes	—			17,039			17,039
	Reclassification of net unrealized losses activity attributable to the Deferred preneed funeral and cemetery receipts held in trust and Care trusts’ corpus, net of taxes	—			(17,039		)	(17,039		)
	Balance at March 31, 2014	$	77,215		$	—		$	77,215
	The assets and liabilities of foreign operations are translated into U.S. dollars using the current exchange rate. The U.S. dollar amount that arises from such translation, as well as exchange gains and losses on intercompany balances of a long-term investment nature, are included in the foreign currency translation adjustment in Accumulated other comprehensive income.
	Cash Dividends
	On February 12, 2014, our Board of Directors approved a cash dividend of $.08 per common share. This dividend, totaling $17.1 million, was paid on March 28, 2014.
	Share Repurchases
	Subject to market conditions, normal trading restrictions, and limitations in our debt covenants, we may make purchases in the open market or through privately negotiated transactions under our stock repurchase program. During the three months ended March 31, 2014, there were no share repurchases under our share repurchase program. The remaining dollar value of shares authorized to be purchased under our share repurchase program was approximately $190.1 million at March 31, 2014.
	During the three months ended March 31, 2014, we made $1.1 million of share repurchases that were not part of the publicly announced programs. These shares represent restricted stock that was redeemed by certain employees in lieu of tax liability withholdings and stock option exercises by attestation, which do not affect our share repurchase program.

Segment_Reporting_Notes

Segment Reporting (Notes)	3 Months Ended
	Mar. 31, 2014
Segment Reporting [Abstract]	'
Segment Reporting Disclosure [Text Block]	'
	Segment Reporting
	Our operations are both product based and geographically based, and the reportable operating segments presented below include our funeral and cemetery operations. Our geographic areas include United States, Canada, and Germany. We conduct both funeral and cemetery operations in the United States and Canada and funeral operations in Germany.
	Our reportable segment information is as follows:
		Funeral			Cemetery			Reportable
								Segments
		(In thousands)
	Three Months Ended March 31,
	Revenues from external customers:
	2014	$	510,668		$	236,455		$	747,123
	2013	$	462,019		$	190,333		$	652,352
	Gross profits:
	2014	$	119,389		$	46,993		$	166,382
	2013	$	120,131		$	39,526		$	159,657
	The following table reconciles gross profits from reportable segments to our consolidated income before income taxes:
		Three Months Ended
		March 31,
		2014			2013
		(In thousands)
	Gross profits from reportable segments	$	166,382		$	159,657
	General and administrative expenses	(56,010		)	(30,923		)
	Losses on divestitures and impairment charges, net	(2,812		)	(969		)
	Operating income	107,560			127,765
	Interest expense	(44,996		)	(32,769		)
	Other income (expense), net	1,534			(984		)
	Income before income taxes	$	64,098		$	94,012
	Our geographic area information is as follows:
		United			Canada			Germany		Total
		States
					(In thousands)
	Three Months Ended March 31,
	Revenues from external customers:
	2014	$	694,383		$	51,126		$	1,614	$	747,123
	2013	$	595,437		$	54,981		$	1,934	$	652,352

Supplementary_Information_Note

Supplementary Information (Notes)	3 Months Ended
	Mar. 31, 2014
Supplementary Information [Abstract]	'
Additional Financial Information Disclosure [Text Block]	'
	Supplementary Information
	The detail of certain income statement accounts as presented in the unaudited condensed consolidated statement of operations is as follows:
		Three Months Ended
		March 31,
		2014			2013
		(In thousands)
	Merchandise revenues:
	Funeral	$	164,735		$	160,329
	Cemetery	155,392			129,476
	Total merchandise revenues	320,127			289,805
	Services revenues:
	Funeral	311,160			273,830
	Cemetery	71,383			54,568
	Total services revenues	382,543			328,398
	Other revenues	44,453			34,149
	Total revenues	$	747,123		$	652,352
	Merchandise costs and expenses:
	Funeral	$	81,954		$	75,781
	Cemetery	69,537			56,553
	Total cost of merchandise	151,491			132,334
	Services costs and expenses:
	Funeral	159,505			136,124
	Cemetery	37,038			26,331
	Total cost of services	196,543			162,455
	Overhead and other expenses	232,707			197,906
	Total costs and expenses	$	580,741		$	492,695
	Certain Non-Cash Financing Transactions
		Three Months Ended March 31,
		2014			2013
		(In thousands)
	Options exercised by attestation	$	761		$	—
	Shares repurchased	$	(761	)	$	—

Commitments_and_Contingencies_

Commitments and Contingencies (Notes)	3 Months Ended
	Mar. 31, 2014
Commitments and Contingencies [Abstract]	'
Commitments and Contingencies Disclosure [Text Block]	'
	Commitments and Contingencies
	Insurance Loss Reserves
	We purchase comprehensive general liability, morticians’ and cemetery professional liability, automobile liability, and workers’ compensation insurance coverage structured with high deductibles. The high-deductible insurance program means we are primarily self-insured for claims and associated costs and losses covered by these policies. As of March 31, 2014 and December 31, 2013, we have self-insurance reserves of $80.0 million and $78.0 million, respectively.
	Litigation
	We are a party to various litigation matters, investigations, 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 vigorously defend ourselves in the lawsuits described herein; however, 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. We accrue such insurance recoveries when they become probable of being paid and can be reasonably estimated.
	Burial Practices Claims. We are named as a defendant in various lawsuits alleging improper burial practices at certain of our cemetery locations. These lawsuits include but are not limited to the Scott and Schwartz lawsuits described in the following paragraphs.
	Robert Scott, individually and on behalf of all others similarly situated, v. Eden Memorial Park, et al. (previously styled F. Charles Sands, et al. v. Eden Memorial Park, et al.) Case No. BC421528; in the Superior Court of the State of California for the County of Los Angeles - Central District. This case was filed in September 2009 against SCI and certain subsidiaries regarding our Eden Memorial Park cemetery in Mission Hills, California. The plaintiff seeks compensatory, consequential, and punitive damages as well as the appointment of a receiver to oversee cemetery operations. The plaintiff alleges the cemetery engaged in wrongful burial practices and did not disclose them to customers. After a hearing in February 2012, the court in May 2012 issued an order certifying classes of cemetery plot owners and their families based on alleged Company misrepresentation, concealment or nondisclosure of material facts regarding alleged improper burial practices pertaining to the period from February 1985 to September 2009. Trial proceedings commenced in January 2014. On February 27, 2014, the Company announced a settlement of the lawsuit and the trial court preliminarily approved the settlement agreement. All claims under the lawsuit will be released if final court approval of the settlement is obtained. The terms of the settlement call for the establishment of a settlement fund of $35,250,000, to which various SCI insurance carriers will contribute $25,250,000 and the Company will contribute the balance. Other provisions call for, among other things, the Company to contribute up to $250,000 toward claims administration costs and take certain actions in performing future burials. In addition, the Company reserves the right to cancel the settlement in the event a certain number of class members opt out of the settlement. The trial court is scheduled to conduct a hearing on May 15, 2014 to consider the final approval of the settlement. We cannot quantify our ultimate liability, if any, for the payment of any damages.
	Barbara Schwartz & Carol Neitlich, Individually and on behalf of all others similarly situated v. SCI Funeral Services of Florida, Inc., et al.; Case No. 2012CA015954, In the Circuit Court of the 15th Judicial District in and for Palm Beach County, Florida. This lawsuit has been removed to the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Florida and is now Case No. 9:12-CV-80180-DMM. This case was filed by counsel for plaintiffs in the Sands case regarding our Star of David Memorial Gardens Cemetery and Funeral Chapel and Bailey Memorial Gardens located in North Lauderdale, Florida. Plaintiffs seek to certify a class of cemetery plot owners and their families. Plaintiffs allege the cemetery engaged in wrongful burial practices and did not disclose them to customers. Plaintiffs seek compensatory, consequential, and punitive damages as well as the appointment of a receiver to oversee the cemetery operations. On our motion, the court dismissed the plaintiffs' claims in March 2013. The plaintiffs appealed the dismissal. On February 5, 2014, the 11th Circuit Court of Appeals affirmed the dismissal of the plaintiffs’ claims. We cannot quantify our ultimate liability, if any, for the payment of any damages.
	Wage and Hour Claims. We are named a defendant in various lawsuits alleging violations of federal and state laws regulating wage and hour overtime pay, including but not limited to the Bryant and Helm lawsuits described below.
	Bryant, et al. v. Service Corporation International, et al.; Case No. RG-07359593; and Helm, et al. v. AWGI & SCI; Case No. RG-07359602; in the Superior Court of the State of California, County of Alameda. These cases were filed on December 5, 2007. These cases were removed to federal court in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of California, San Francisco/Oakland Division. The Bryant case is now Case No. 3:08-CV-01190-SI and the Helm case is now Case No. C 08-01184-SI. On December 29, 2009, the court in the Helm case denied the plaintiffs’ motion to certify the case as a class action. The plaintiffs modified and refiled their motion for certification. On March 9, 2011, the court denied plaintiffs’ renewed motions to certify a class in both of the Bryant and Helm cases and dismissed the Helm case. The Helm plaintiff is appealing the court's order decertifying her claims. The individual claims in the Bryant case are still pending. The plaintiffs have also (i) filed additional lawsuits with similar allegations seeking class certification of state law claims in different states, and (ii) made a large number of demands for arbitration. We cannot quantify our ultimate liability, if any, in these lawsuits.
	Claims Regarding Acquisition of Stewart Enterprises. We are named as a defendant in the following lawsuit.
	Karen Moulton, Individually and on behalf of all others similarly situated v. Stewart Enterprises, Inc., Service Corporation International and others ; Case No. 2013-5636; in the Civil District Court Parish of New Orleans. This case was filed as a class action in June 2013 against SCI and our subsidiary in connection with SCI's acquisition of Stewart Enterprises, Inc. The plaintiffs allege that SCI aided and abetted breaches of fiduciary duties by Stewart Enterprises and its board of directors in negotiating the combination of Stewart Enterprises with a subsidiary of SCI. The plaintiffs seek damages concerning the combination. We have filed exceptions to the plaintiffs’ complaint that are set for oral hearing on June 12, 2014. We cannot quantify our ultimate liability, if any, for the payment of damages.
	The ultimate outcome of the matters described above cannot be determined at this time. We intend to vigorously defend all of the above lawsuits; however, an adverse decision in one or more of such matters could have a material effect on us, our financial condition, results of operations, and cash flows.

Earnings_Per_Share_Notes

Earnings Per Share (Notes)	3 Months Ended
	Mar. 31, 2014
Earnings Per Share [Abstract]	'
Earnings Per Share [Text Block]	'
	Earnings Per Share
	Basic earnings per common share (EPS) excludes dilution and is computed by dividing Net income attributable to common stockholders by the weighted average number of common shares outstanding for the period. Diluted EPS reflects the potential dilution that could occur if securities or other obligations to issue common stock were exercised or converted into common stock or resulted in the issuance of common shares that then shared in our earnings.
	A reconciliation of the numerators and denominators of the basic and diluted EPS computations is presented below:
		Three Months Ended
		March 31,
		2014		2013
		(In thousands, except per
		share amounts)
	Amounts attributable to common stockholders:
	Net income:
	Net income — basic	$	41,102	$	57,620
	After tax interest on convertible debt	13		13
	Net income — diluted	$	41,115	$	57,633
	Weighted average shares (denominator):
	Weighted average shares — basic	212,838		211,380
	Stock options	4,272		3,707
	Convertible debt	121		121
	Weighted average shares — diluted	217,231		215,208
	Net income per share:
	Basic	$	0.19	$	0.27
	Diluted	$	0.19	$	0.27
	The computation of diluted EPS excludes outstanding stock options and convertible debt in certain periods in which the inclusion of such options and debt would be anti-dilutive in the periods presented. For the three months ended March 31, 2014 and March 31, 2013, total options not currently included in the computation of dilutive EPS were 2.7 million and 1.1 million, respectively.

Acquisition_Notes

Acquisition (Notes)	3 Months Ended
	Mar. 31, 2014
Business Combinations [Abstract]	'
Business Combination Disclosure [Text Block]	'
	Acquisition
	Stewart
	On December 23, 2013, pursuant to a tender offer, we acquired Stewart Enterprises, Inc. (Stewart) for 13.25 per share in cash, resulting in a purchase price of $1.5 billion, which includes the assumption of $331.5 million of Stewart’s debt.
	The primary reasons for the merger and the principal factors that contributed to the recognition of goodwill in this acquisition were:
	•	the acquisition of Stewart enhances our network footprint, enabling us to serve a number of new, complementary areas;
	•	combining the two companies’ operations provides synergies and related cost savings through the elimination of duplicate home office functions and economies of scale; and
	•	the acquisition of Stewart’s preneed backlog of deferred revenues enhances our long-term stability.
	The following table summarizes the adjusted fair values of the assets acquired and liabilities assumed as of December 23, 2013:
		(In thousands)
	Accounts receivable	$	14,638
	Other current assets	198,760
	Cemetery property	282,524
	Property and equipment, net	338,363
	Preneed funeral and cemetery receivables and trust investments	654,805
	Finite-lived intangible assets	77,134
	Indefinite-lived intangible assets	79,400
	Acquired assets held for sale	443,169
	Deferred charges and other assets	278,319
	Goodwill	625,295
	Total assets acquired	2,992,407
	Current liabilities	217,175
	Long-term debt	270,668
	Deferred preneed funeral and cemetery revenues and deferred receipts held in trusts	834,320
	Assumed liabilities held for sale	162,668
	Deferred income taxes	62,409
	Other liabilities	279,694
	Total liabilities assumed	1,826,934
	Noncontrolling interest	118
	Net assets acquired	$	1,165,355
	We have not finalized our assessment of the fair values as there has been insufficient time between the acquisition date and the issuance of these financial statements to complete our review and final determination of fair value. We made the following adjustments to our estimates of the fair value of assets and liabilities in the first quarter of 2014 and revised the consolidated balance sheet for the year-ended December 31, 2013 included in this filing to reflect these adjustments:
		(In thousands)
	Decrease in the fair value of cemetery property	1,942
	Decrease in the fair value of property and equipment, net	2,093
	Decrease in the fair value of finite-lived intangible assets	29,146
	Increase in the fair value of deferred preneed funeral and cemetery revenues and deferred receipts held in trust	51,463
	Decrease in the fair value of deferred income taxes	(37,760	)
	Other	(751	)
	Total adjustment to goodwill	46,133
	Goodwill, land, and certain identifiable intangible assets recorded in the acquisition are not subject to amortization; however, the goodwill and intangible assets will be tested periodically for impairment as required by the Intangible Assets Topic of the ASC. Of the $625.3 million in goodwill recognized, $281.4 million was allocated to our cemetery segment and $343.9 million was allocated to our funeral segment. As a result of the carryover of Stewart’s tax basis, $3.0 million of this goodwill is deductible for tax purposes. The identified intangible assets comprise the following:
		Useful life
		Minimum		Maximum	Fair Value
		(Years)			(In thousands)
	Preneed customer relationships related to insurance claims	10		20	$	28,500
	Other preneed customer relationships	10		14	21,960
	Selling and management agreements	20		40	5,900
	Covenants-not-to-compete	5		15	5,480
	Operating leases	26		34	6,144
	Tradenames	5		5	9,150
	Tradenames			Indefinite	77,900
	Licenses and permits			Indefinite	1,500
	Total intangible assets				$	156,534
	The condensed statement of operations for the three months ended March 31, 2014 includes the results of operations of Stewart. For the three months ended March 31, 2013, the following unaudited pro forma information presents information as if the merger occurred on January 1, 2013:
		2013
		(In thousands)
		(unaudited)
	Revenue	$	750,105
	Net income	$	64,218
	SCI Direct
	During 2013, we acquired an additional 20% of the outstanding shares of The Neptune Society, Inc. increasing our ownership from 70% to 90%. On January 1, 2014 The Neptune Society, Inc. changed its legal name to SCI Direct, Inc. During 2014, the Company acquired the remaining 10% of the outstanding shares of SCI Direct (formerly The Neptune Society, Inc.). SCI Direct is our direct cremation business and manages operations under various brand names, including Neptune Society, National Cremation Service, Trident Society, and Cremation Society of Virginia. This activity expands our footprint into a sector of the market that will continue to grow and that we do not currently target through our traditional funeral service and cemetery network.

DivestitureRelated_Activities_

Divestiture-Related Activities (Notes)	3 Months Ended
	Mar. 31, 2014
Divestiture-Related Activities [Abstract]	'
Disposal Groups, Including Discontinued Operations, Disclosure [Text Block]	'
	Divestiture-Related Activities
	As divestitures occur in the normal course of business, gains or losses on the sale of such locations are recognized in the income statement line item (Losses) gains on divestitures and impairment charges, net, which consist of the following for the three months ended March 31, :
		Three Months Ended
		31-Mar
		2014				2013
	(Losses) gains on divestitures, net	$	1,927			$	(891	)
	Impairment losses	(4,739		)		(78		)
		$	(2,812	)		$	(969	)
	Assets Held for Sale
	In connection with the acquisition of Stewart, we have agreed to a consent order with the staff of the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) that identifies certain properties the FTC will require us to divest as a result of the acquisition. The consent order has been approved by the FTC commissioners. As a result, these properties have been classified as assets held for sale in our condensed consolidated balance sheet.
	Net assets held for sale at March 31, 2014 and December 31, 2013 were as follows:
		31-Mar			31-Dec
		2014			2013
		(In thousands)
	Current assets	$	5,740		$	4,569
	Preneed funeral and cemetery receivables and trust investments	346,690			342,728
	Cemetery property	103,391			83,115
	Property and equipment, net	82,631			63,356
	Goodwill	127,138			140,860
	Deferred charges and other assets	22,954			32,989
	Cemetery perpetual care trust investments	112,197			83,426
	Total assets	$	800,741		$	751,043
	Accounts payable and accrued liabilities	4,850			3,183
	Deferred preneed funeral and cemetery revenues and deferred receipts held in trusts	387,620			349,449
	Care trusts' corpus	112,197			83,426
	Other long term liabilities	4,606			4,209
	Total liabilities	509,273			440,267
	Net assets held for sale	$	291,468		$	310,776

Guarantor_Notes

Guarantor (Notes)	3 Months Ended
	Mar. 31, 2014
Condensed Financial Information of Parent Company Only Disclosure [Abstract]	'
Condensed Financial Information of Parent Company Only Disclosure [Text Block]	'
	Condensed Consolidating Financial Statements of Guarantors of Senior Notes
	In conjunction with the Stewart acquisition, we assumed $200.0 million in aggregate principal amount of 6.5% senior notes due 2019 that were originally issued by Stewart Enterprises, Inc. ('Subsidiary Issuer') and issued a parent guarantee of the notes.
	The following tables present the condensed consolidating historical financial statements as of March 31, 2014 and December 31, 2013 and for the three months ended March 31, 2014 and 2013, for SCI ('Parent') on a parent only basis; the Subsidiary Issuer on a parent only basis; the Guarantor subsidiaries, which serve as guarantors for all three notes, on a combined basis; all other non-guarantor subsidiaries on a combined basis; the eliminations necessary to arrive at the information for the Company on a consolidated basis; and the Company on a consolidated basis.
	Non-guarantor subsidiaries of the three notes include the Puerto Rican subsidiaries of the Subsidiary Issuer; Investors Trust, Inc.; certain immaterial domestic subsidiaries of the Subsidiary Issuer, which are not 100 percent-owned, or are prohibited by law from guaranteeing the notes; and all subsidiaries of the Parent that are not subsidiaries of Stewart Enterprises, Inc. The guarantor subsidiaries of the notes are 100 percent-owned directly or indirectly by the Parent and the Subsidiary Issuer. The guarantees are full and unconditional and joint and several. The Issuer and Guarantor amounts are not reflected in the Statement of Operations, Comprehensive Income, and Cash Flows information for the three months ended March 31, 2013 as they were not owned by the Company during that period.
	Condensed Consolidating Statements of Operations
		Three Months Ended March 31, 2014
		Parent			Subsidiary Issuer			Guarantor Subsidiaries			Non-Guarantor Subsidiaries			Eliminations			Consolidated
	Revenues	$	—		$	—		$	110,165		$	636,958		$	—		$	747,123
	Costs and expenses	—			—			(78,197		)	(502,544		)	—			(580,741		)
	Gross profits	—			—			31,968			134,414			—			166,382
	General and administrative expenses	(267		)	(8,979		)	—			(46,764		)	—			(56,010		)
	Losses on divestitures and impairment charges, net	—			—			(66		)	(2,746		)	—			(2,812		)
	Operating income	$	(267	)	$	(8,979	)	$	31,902		$	84,904		$	—		$	107,560
	Interest expense	(40,593		)	(2,652		)	—			(1,751		)	—			(44,996		)
	Equity in subsidiaries	66,917			19,394			384			—			(86,695		)	—
	Other (expense) income, net	—			(2		)	1			1,535			—			1,534
	Income from continuing operations before income taxes	$	26,057		$	7,761		$	32,287		$	84,688		$	(86,695	)	$	64,098
	Benefit (provision) for income taxes	15,045			4,691			(12,863		)	(29,580		)	—			(22,707		)
	Net income	41,102			12,452			19,424			55,108			(86,695		)	41,391
	Net income attributable to noncontrolling interests	—			—			—			—			(289		)	$	(289	)
	Net income attributable to common stockholders	$	41,102		$	12,452		$	19,424		$	55,108		$	(86,984	)	$	41,102
	Condensed Consolidating Statements of Operations
		Three Months Ended March 31, 2013
		Parent			Non-Guarantor Subsidiaries			Eliminations			Consolidated
	Revenues	$	—		$	652,352		$	—		$	652,352
	Costs and expenses	—			(492,695		)	—			(492,695		)
	Gross profits	—			159,657			—			159,657
	General and administrative expenses	(262		)	(30,661		)	—			(30,923		)
	Losses on divestitures and impairment charges, net	—			(969		)	—			(969		)
	Operating income	(262		)	128,027			—			127,765
	Interest expense	(31,035		)	(1,734		)	—			(32,769		)
	Equity in subsidiaries	77,420			—			(77,420		)	—
	Other (expense) income, net	—			(984		)	—			(984		)
	Income from continuing operations before income taxes	46,123			125,309			(77,420		)	94,012
	Benefit (provision) for income taxes	11,497			(46,787		)	—			(35,290		)
	Net income	57,620			78,522			(77,420		)	58,722
	Net income attributable to noncontrolling interests	—			—			(1,102		)	(1,102		)
	Net income attributable to common stockholders	$	57,620		$	78,522		$	(78,522	)	$	57,620
	Condensed Consolidating Statements of Comprehensive Income
		Three Months Ended March 31, 2014
		Parent			Subsidiary Issuer			Guarantor Subsidiaries			Non-Guarantor Subsidiaries			Eliminations			Consolidated
	Net income	$	41,102		$	12,452		$	19,424		$	55,108		$	(86,695	)	$	41,391
	Other comprehensive income	(11,226		)	—			—			(11,226		)	10,937			(11,515		)
	Total comprehensive income attributable to common stockholders	$	29,876		$	12,452		$	19,424		$	43,882		$	(75,758	)	$	29,876
	Condensed Consolidating Statements of Comprehensive Income
		Three Months Ended March 31, 2013
		Parent			Non-Guarantor Subsidiaries			Eliminations			Consolidated
	Net income	$	57,620		$	78,522		$	(77,420	)	$	58,722
	Other comprehensive income	(5,512		)	(5,512		)	4,410			(6,614		)
	Total comprehensive income attributable to common stockholders	$	52,108		$	73,010		$	(73,010	)	$	52,108
	Condensed Consolidating Balance Sheets
		31-Mar-14
		Parent			Subsidiary Issuer			Guarantor Subsidiaries			Non-Guarantor Subsidiaries			Eliminations			Consolidated
	ASSETS
	Current assets:
	Cash and cash equivalents	$	—		$	21,341		$	753		$	126,525		$	—		$	148,619
	Receivables, net	—			909			5,536			99,368			—			105,813
	Inventories, net	—			—			10,194			24,314			—			34,508
	Current assets held for sale	—			—			4,164			1,576			—			5,740
	Other	9,176			7,668			34,403			30,077			—			81,324
	Total current assets	$	9,176		$	29,918		$	55,050		$	281,860		$	—		$	376,004
	Equity in subsidiaries	4,280,493			657,543			4,546			—			(4,942,582		)	—
	Preneed funeral receivables, net and trust investments	—			—			376,292			1,495,247			—			1,871,539
Preneed cemetery receivables, net and trust investments	—			—			255,305			2,046,328			—			2,301,633
Cemetery property, at cost	—			—			233,661			1,487,785			—			1,721,446
Property and equipment, net	—			13,900			294,574			1,578,545			—			1,887,019
Non-current assets held for sale	—			—			451,409			343,592			—			795,001
Deferred charges and other assets	39,887			17,684			171,703			402,485			—			631,759
Goodwill, net	—			647,890			—			1,330,731			—			1,978,621
Cemetery perpetual care trust investments	—			—			206,859			1,135,730			—			1,342,589
Total assets	$	4,329,556		$	1,366,935		$	2,049,399		$	10,102,303		$	(4,942,582	)	$	12,905,611
LIABILITIES & EQUITY
Current liabilities:
Accounts payable and accrued liabilities	$	54,039		$	25,723		$	25,955		$	371,651		$	—		$	477,368
Current maturities of long-term debt	—			95			291			105,319			—			105,705
Current liabilities held for sale	—			—			3,484			1,366			—			4,850
Income taxes	—			74			90			3,137			—			3,301
Total current liabilities	$	54,039		$	25,892		$	29,820		$	481,473		$	—		$	591,224
Long-term debt	2,833,690			209,418			172			90,645			—			3,133,925
Deferred preneed funeral revenues	—			—			177,046			495,585			—			672,631
Deferred preneed cemetery revenues	—			—			106,168			880,370			—			986,538
Deferred tax liability	1,082			—			152,608			433,301			—			586,991
Non-current liabilities held for sale	—			—			208,029			296,394			—			504,423
Other liabilities	4,318			14,779			7,168			378,428			—			404,693
Deferred preneed funeral and cemetery receipts held in trust	—			—			473,606			2,772,023			—			3,245,629
Care trusts’ corpus	—			—			207,309			1,133,052			—			1,340,361
Equity:
Common stock	213,532			85,175			102			25			(85,302		)	213,532
Other equity	1,145,680			1,031,671			687,371			3,141,007			(4,860,049		)	1,145,680
Accumulated other comprehensive income	77,215			—			—			—			—			77,215
Total common stockholders’ equity	1,436,427			1,116,846			687,473			3,141,032			(4,945,351		)	1,436,427
Noncontrolling interests	—			—			—			—			2,769			2,769
Total equity	1,436,427			1,116,846			687,473			3,141,032			(4,942,582		)	1,439,196
Total liabilities and equity	$	4,329,556		$	1,366,935		$	2,049,399		$	10,102,303		$	(4,942,582	)	$	12,905,611
Condensed Consolidating Balance Sheets
	31-Dec-13
	Parent			Subsidiary Issuer			Guarantor Subsidiaries			Non-Guarantor Subsidiaries			Eliminations			Consolidated
ASSETS
Current assets:
Cash and cash equivalents	$	—		$	53,543		$	1,898		$	89,432		$	—		$	144,873
Receivables, net	—			442			23,908			81,549			—			105,899
Inventories, net	—			—			10,925			23,743			—			34,668
Current assets held for sale	—			—			3,333			1,236			—			4,569
Other	9,083			29,133			35,368			31,014			—			104,598
Total current assets	9,083			83,118			75,432			226,974			—			394,607
Equity in subsidiaries	4,132,098			828,457			4,546			—			(4,965,101		)	—
Preneed funeral receivables, net and trust investments	—			—			358,567			1,512,307			—			1,870,874
Preneed cemetery receivables, net and trust investments	—			—			265,346			2,035,565			—			2,300,911
Cemetery property, at cost	—			—			264,226			1,482,899			—			1,747,125
Property and equipment, net	—			15,243			306,174			1,599,451			—			1,920,868
Non-current assets held for sale	—			—			443,170			303,304			—			746,474
Deferred charges and other assets	42,068			31,807			150,665			407,548			—			632,088
Goodwill, net	—			624,711			—			1,343,524			—			1,968,235
Cemetery perpetual care trust investments	—			—			223,903			1,123,719			—			1,347,622
Total assets	$	4,183,249		$	1,583,336		$	2,092,029		$	10,035,291		$	(4,965,101	)	$	12,928,804
LIABILITIES & EQUITY
Current liabilities:
Accounts payable and accrued liabilities	$	31,914		$	46,020		$	43,706		$	365,008		$	—		$	486,648
Current maturities of long-term debt	30,000			106,939			—			39,423			—			176,362
Current liabilities held for sale	—			—			1,647			1,536			—			3,183
Income taxes	—			560			1,427			4,404			—			6,391
Total current liabilities	61,914			153,519			46,780			410,371			—			672,584
Long-term debt	2,701,611			270,578			89			153,270			—			3,125,548
Deferred preneed funeral revenues	—			—			176,958			509,202			—			686,160
Deferred preneed cemetery revenues	—			—			85,163			889,594			—			974,757
Deferred tax liability	1,092			—			61,835			518,513			—			581,440
Non-current liabilities held for sale	—			—			162,668			274,416			—			437,084
Other liabilities	4,402			29,944			11,116			384,931			—			430,393
Deferred preneed funeral and cemetery receipts held in trust	—			—			503,667			2,746,919			—			3,250,586
Care trusts’ corpus	—			—			223,903			1,121,971			—			1,345,874
Equity:
Common stock	212,317			85,175			102			25			(85,302		)	212,317
Other equity	1,113,472			1,044,120			819,748			2,937,638			(4,801,506		)	1,113,472
Accumulated other comprehensive income	88,441			—			—			88,441			(88,441		)	88,441
Total common stockholders’ equity	1,414,230			1,129,295			819,850			3,026,104			(4,975,249		)	1,414,230
Noncontrolling interests	—			—			—			—			10,148			10,148
Total equity	1,414,230			1,129,295			819,850			3,026,104			(4,965,101		)	1,424,378
Total liabilities and equity	$	4,183,249		$	1,583,336		$	2,092,029		$	10,035,291		$	(4,965,101	)	$	12,928,804
Condensed Consolidating Statements of Cash Flows
	Three Months Ended March 31, 2014
	Parent			Subsidiary Issuer			Guarantor Subsidiaries			Non-Guarantor Subsidiaries			Eliminations			Consolidated
Net cash (used in) provided by operating activities	$	(28,168	)	$	(32,202	)	$	47,998		$	140,259		$	—		$	127,887
Cash flows from investing activities:
Capital expenditures	—			—			(4,120		)	(21,102		)	—			(25,222		)
Acquisitions, net of cash acquired	—			—			—			(779		)	—			(779		)
Proceeds from divestitures and sales of property and equipment	—			—			—			2,639			—			2,639
Net withdrawals (deposits) of restricted funds and other	—			2,035			(14,260		)	—			—			(12,225		)
Contributions to subsidiaries	(70,858		)	—			—			—			70,858			—
Net cash (used in) provided by investing activities	(70,858		)	2,035			(18,380		)	(19,242		)	70,858			(35,587		)
Cash flows from financing activities:
Proceeds from issuance of long-term debt	110,000			—			—			—			—			110,000
Payments of debt	(7,500		)	—			—			(79		)	—			(7,579		)
Early extinguishment of debt	—			(167,093		)	—			—			—			(167,093		)
Principal payments on capital leases	—			—			(23		)	(7,208		)	—			(7,231		)
Proceeds from exercise of stock options	7,915			—			—			—			—			7,915
Excess tax benefits from share based awards	6,744			—			—			—			—			6,744
Purchase of Company common stock	(1,053		)	—			—			—			—			(1,053		)
Payments of dividends	(17,080		)	—			—			—			—			(17,080		)
Purchase of noncontrolling interest	—			—			—			(15,000		)	—			(15,000		)
Bank overdrafts and other	—			—			—			3,762			—			3,762
Contributions from (distributions to) parent	—			165,058			(30,740		)	(63,460		)	(70,858		)	—
Net cash provided by (used in) financing activities	99,026			(2,035		)	(30,763		)	(81,985		)	(70,858		)	(86,615		)
Effect of foreign currency	—			—			—			(1,939		)	—			(1,939		)
Net decrease (increase) in cash and cash equivalents	—			(32,202		)	(1,145		)	37,093			—			3,746
Cash and cash equivalents at beginning of period	—			53,543			1,898			89,432			—			144,873
Cash and cash equivalents at end of period	$	—		$	21,341		$	753		$	126,525		$	—		$	148,619
Condensed Consolidating Statements of Cash Flows
	Three Months Ended March 31, 2013
	Parent			Non-Guarantor Subsidiaries			Eliminations			Consolidated
Net cash (used in) provided by operating activities	$	(1,261	)	$	152,385		$	—		$	151,124
Cash flows from investing activities:
Capital expenditures	—			(22,569		)	—			(22,569		)
Proceeds from divestitures and sales of property and equipment	—			1,816			—			1,816
Net withdrawals (deposits) of restricted funds and other	—			339			—			339
Distributions from subsidiaries	16,558			—			(16,558		)	—
Net cash provided by (used in) investing activities	16,558			(20,414		)	(16,558		)	(20,414		)
Cash flows from financing activities:
Payments of debt	(4,757		)	(191		)	—			(4,948		)
Principal payments on capital leases	—			(6,468		)	—			(6,468		)
Proceeds from exercise of stock options	3,094			—			—			3,094
Excess tax benefits from share based awards	772			—			—			772
Purchase of Company common stock	(1,708		)	—			—			(1,708		)
Payments of dividends	(12,698		)	—			—			(12,698		)
Distributions to parent	—			(16,558		)	16,558			—
Purchase of noncontrolling interest	—			(8,333		)	—			(8,333		)
Bank overdrafts and other	—			(4,004		)	—			(4,004		)
Net cash (used in) provided by financing activities	(15,297		)	(35,554		)	16,558			(34,293		)
Effect of foreign currency	—			(579		)	—			(579		)
Net increase in cash and cash equivalents	—			95,838			—			95,838
Cash and cash equivalents at beginning of period	—			92,708			—			92,708
Cash and cash equivalents at end of period	$	—		$	188,546		$	—		$	188,546

Summary_of_Significant_Account1

Summary of Significant Accounting Policies (Policies)	3 Months Ended
	Mar. 31, 2014
Summary of Significant Accounting Policies [Abstract]	'
Consolidation, Policy [Policy Text Block]	'
	Principles of Consolidation and Basis of Presentation
	Our unaudited condensed consolidated financial statements include the accounts of Service Corporation International (SCI) and all subsidiaries in which we hold a controlling financial interest. Our financial statements also include the accounts of the funeral merchandise and service trusts, cemetery merchandise and service trusts, and cemetery perpetual care trusts in which we have a variable interest and are the primary beneficiary. Our interim condensed consolidated financial statements are unaudited but include all adjustments, consisting of normal recurring accruals and any other adjustments, which management considers necessary for a fair statement of our results for these periods. Our unaudited condensed consolidated financial statements have been prepared in a manner consistent with the accounting policies described in our Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2013, unless otherwise disclosed herein, and should be read in conjunction therewith. The accompanying year-end condensed consolidated balance sheet data was derived from audited financial statements, but does not include all disclosures required by accounting principles generally accepted in the United States of America. Operating results for interim periods are not necessarily indicative of the results that may be expected for the full year period.
	Reclassifications
	Certain reclassifications have been made to prior period amounts to conform to the current period financial statement presentation with no effect on our previously reported results of operations, consolidated financial position, or cash flows.
Use of Estimates, Policy [Policy Text Block]	'
	Use of Estimates in the Preparation of Financial Statements
	The preparation of the unaudited condensed consolidated financial statements in conformity with accounting principles generally accepted in the United States of America requires management to make estimates and assumptions as described in our Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2013. These estimates and assumptions may affect the reported amounts of assets and liabilities and disclosure of contingent assets and liabilities at the date of the unaudited condensed consolidated financial statements and the reported amounts of revenues and expenses during the reporting periods. As a result, actual results could differ from these estimates.
Finance, Loans and Leases Receivable, Policy [Policy Text Block]	'
	Preneed Funeral and Cemetery Receivables
	We sell preneed funeral and cemetery contracts whereby the customer enters into arrangements for future merchandise and services prior to the time of need. As these contracts are entered into prior to the delivery of the related goods and services, the preneed funeral and cemetery receivables are offset by a comparable deferred revenue amount. These receivables generally have an interest component for which interest income is recorded when the interest amount is considered collectible and realizable, which typically coincides with cash payment. We do not accrue interest on financing receivables that are not paid in accordance with the contractual payment date given the nature of our goods and services, the nature of our contracts with customers, and the timing of the delivery of our services. We do not consider receivables to be past due until the service or goods are required to be delivered at which time the preneed receivable is paid or reclassified as a trade receivable with payment terms of less than 30 days. As the preneed funeral and cemetery receivables are offset by comparable deferred revenue amounts, we have no risk of loss related to these receivables.
	If a preneed contract is canceled prior to delivery, state or provincial law governs the amount of the refund owed to the customer, if any, including the amount of the attributed investment earnings. Upon cancellation, we receive the amount of principal deposited to the trust and previously undistributed net investment earnings and, where required, issue a refund to the customer. We retain excess funds, if any, and recognize the attributed investment earnings (net of any investment earnings payable to the customer) as revenue in the consolidated statement of operations. In certain jurisdictions, we may be obligated to fund any shortfall if the amount deposited by the customers exceed the funds in trust. Based on our historical experience, we have provided an allowance for cancellation of these receivables, which is recorded as a reduction in receivables with a corresponding offset to deferred revenue.
Consolidation, Variable Interest Entity, Policy [Policy Text Block]	'
	Our funeral merchandise and service trusts are variable interest entities as defined in the Consolidation Topic of the ASC. In accordance with this guidance, we have determined that we are the primary beneficiary of these trusts, as we absorb a majority of the losses and returns associated with these trusts. Our cemetery trust investments detailed in Notes 5 and 6 are also accounted for as variable interest entities.
	Our cemetery merchandise and service trusts are variable interest entities as defined in the Consolidation Topic of the ASC. In accordance with this guidance, we have determined that we are the primary beneficiary of these trusts, as we absorb a majority of the losses and returns associated with these trusts. The trust investments detailed in Notes 4 and 6 are also accounted for as variable interest entities.
	Our cemetery perpetual care trusts are variable interest entities as defined in the Consolidation Topic of the ASC. In accordance with this guidance, we have determined that we are the primary beneficiary of these trusts, as we absorb a majority of the losses and returns associated with these trusts. The merchandise and service trust investments detailed in Notes 4 and 5 are also accounted for as variable interest entities.
Funeral and Cemetery cash flow [Policy Text Block]	'
	Cash flows from preneed funeral contracts are presented as operating cash flows in our unaudited condensed consolidated statement of cash flows.
	Cash flows from preneed cemetery contracts are presented as operating cash flows in our unaudited condensed consolidated statement of cash flows.
	Cash flows from cemetery perpetual care trusts are presented as operating cash flows in our unaudited condensed consolidated statement of cash flows.
Revenue Recognition, Deferred Revenue [Policy Text Block]	'
	These earnings are recorded in Deferred preneed funeral revenues until the service is performed or the merchandise is delivered.
	These earnings are recorded in Deferred preneed cemetery revenues until the service is performed or the merchandise is delivered.
Fair Value of Financial Instruments, Policy [Policy Text Block]	'
	Where quoted prices are available in an active market, securities held by the common trust funds and mutual funds are classified as Level 1 investments pursuant to the three-level valuation hierarchy as required by the Fair Value Measurements and Disclosure (FVM&D) Topic of the ASC.
	Where quoted market prices are not available for the specific security, fair values are estimated by using either quoted prices of securities with similar characteristics or an income approach fair value model with observable inputs that include a combination of interest rates, yield curves, credit risks, prepayment speeds, rating, and tax-exempt status. These funds are classified as Level 2 investments pursuant to the three-level valuation hierarchy as required by the FVM&D Topic of the ASC.
	The valuation of private equity and other alternative investments requires management judgment due to the absence of quoted market prices, inherent lack of liquidity, and the long-term nature of such assets. The fair value of these investments is estimated based on the market value of the underlying real estate and private equity investments. The underlying real estate value is determined using the most recent available appraisals. Private equity instruments are valued based on reported net asset values discounted by 0% to 20% for risk and 0% to 10% for liquidity. A significant increase (decrease) in the discounts results in a directionally opposite change in the fair value of the instruments. Valuation policies and procedures are determined by our Trust Services department, which reports to our Chief Financial Officer.  Additionally, valuations are reviewed by our investment committee quarterly. These funds are classified as Level 3 investments pursuant to the three-level valuation hierarchy as required by the FVM&D Topic of the ASC.
	Where quoted prices are available in an active market, securities held by the common trust funds and mutual funds are classified as Level 1 investments pursuant to the three-level valuation hierarchy as required by the FVM&D Topic of the ASC.
	Where quoted market prices are not available for the specific security, fair values are estimated by using either quoted prices of securities with similar characteristics or an income approach fair value model with observable inputs that include a combination of interest rates, yield curves, credit risks, prepayment speeds, rating, and tax-exempt status. These funds are classified as Level 2 investments pursuant to the three-level valuation hierarchy as required by the FVM&D Topic of the ASC.
	The valuation of private equity and other alternative investments requires management judgment due to the absence of quoted market prices, inherent lack of liquidity, and the long-term nature of such assets. The fair value of these investments is estimated based on the market value of the underlying real estate and private equity investments. The underlying real estate value is determined using the most recent available appraisals. Private equity instruments are valued based on reported net asset values discounted by 0% to 20% for risk and 0% to 10% for liquidity. A significant increase (decrease) in the discounts results in a directionally opposite change in the fair value of the instruments. Valuation policies and procedures are determined by our Trust Services department, which reports to our Chief Financial Officer.  Additionally, valuations are reviewed by our investment committee quarterly. These funds are classified as Level 3 investments pursuant to the three-level valuation hierarchy as required by the FVM&D Topic of the ASC.
	Where quoted prices are available in an active market, securities held by the common trust funds and mutual funds are classified as Level 1 investments pursuant to the three-level valuation hierarchy as required by the FVM&D Topic of the ASC.
	Where quoted market prices are not available for the specific security, fair values are estimated by using either quoted prices of securities with similar characteristics or an income approach fair value model with observable inputs that include a combination of interest rates, yield curves, credit risks, prepayment speeds, rating, and tax-exempt status. These funds are classified as Level 2 investments pursuant to the three-level valuation hierarchy as required by the FVM&D Topic of the ASC.
	The valuation of private equity and other alternative investments requires management judgment due to the absence of quoted market prices, inherent lack of liquidity, and the long-term nature of such assets. The fair value of these investments is estimated based on the market value of the underlying real estate and private equity investments. The underlying real estate value is determined using the most recent available appraisals. Private equity instruments are valued based on reported net asset values discounted by 0% to 20% for risk and 0% to 10% for liquidity. A significant increase (decrease) in the discounts results in a directionally opposite change in the fair value of the instruments.Valuation policies and procedures are determined by our Trust Services department, which reports to our Chief Financial Officer.  Additionally, valuations are reviewed by our investment committee quarterly. These funds are classified as Level 3 investments pursuant to the three-level valuation hierarchy as required by the FVM&D Topic of the ASC.
	The fair values of our long-term, fixed rate loans were estimated using market prices for those loans, and therefore they are classified within Level 1 of the Fair Value Measurements hierarchy as required by the FVM&D Topic of the ASC. The bank credit agreement and the mortgage and other debt are classified within Level 3 of the Fair Value Measurements hierarchy. The fair values of these instruments have been estimated using discounted cash flow analysis based on our incremental borrowing rate for similar borrowing arrangements.
Revenue Recognition, Policy [Policy Text Block]	'
	Earnings from all our funeral merchandise and service trust investments are recognized in funeral revenues when a service is performed or merchandise is delivered. Fees charged by our wholly-owned registered investment advisor are also included in current revenues in the period in which they are earned. In addition, we are entitled to retain, in certain jurisdictions, a portion of collected customer payments when a customer cancels a preneed contract; these amounts are also recognized in current revenues.
	Earnings from all our cemetery merchandise and service trust investments are recognized in current cemetery revenues when a service is performed or merchandise is delivered. Fees charged by our wholly-owned registered investment advisor are also included in current revenues in the period in which they are earned. In addition, we are entitled to retain, in certain jurisdictions, a portion of collected customer payments when a customer cancels a preneed contract; these amounts are also recognized in current revenues.
	Distributable earnings from these cemetery perpetual care trust investments are recognized in current cemetery revenues to the extent we incur qualifying cemetery maintenance costs. Fees charged by our wholly-owned registered investment advisor are also included in current revenues in the period in which they are earned.
Marketable Securities, Available-for-sale Securities, Policy [Policy Text Block]	'
	We assess our trust investments for other-than-temporary declines in fair value on a quarterly basis. Impairment charges resulting from this assessment are recognized as investment losses in Other income (expense), net and a decrease to Preneed funeral receivables, net and trust investments. These investment losses, if any, are offset by the corresponding reclassification in Other income (expense), net, which reduces Deferred preneed funeral receipts held in trust.
	We assess our trust investments for other-than-temporary declines in fair value on a quarterly basis. Impairment charges resulting from this assessment are recognized as investment losses in Other income (expense), net and a decrease to Preneed cemetery receivables, net and trust investments. These investment losses, if any, are offset by the corresponding reclassification in Other income (expense), net, which reduces Deferred preneed cemetery receipts held in trust. See Note 7 for further information related to our Deferred preneed cemetery receipts held in trust
	We assess our trust investments for other-than-temporary declines in fair value on a quarterly basis. Impairment charges resulting from this assessment are recognized as investment losses in Other income (expense), net and a decrease to Cemetery perpetual care trust investments. These investment losses, if any, are offset by the corresponding reclassification in Other income (expense), net, which reduces Care trusts’ corpus.
Share-based Compensation, Option and Incentive Plans Policy [Policy Text Block]	'
	We utilize the Black-Scholes option valuation model for estimating the fair value of our stock options.
Segment Reporting, Policy [Policy Text Block]	'
	Our operations are both product based and geographically based, and the reportable operating segments presented below include our funeral and cemetery operations.
Earnings Per Share, Policy [Policy Text Block]	'
	Basic earnings per common share (EPS) excludes dilution and is computed by dividing Net income attributable to common stockholders by the weighted average number of common shares outstanding for the period. Diluted EPS reflects the potential dilution that could occur if securities or other obligations to issue common stock were exercised or converted into common stock or resulted in the issuance of common shares that then shared in our earnings.
	The computation of diluted EPS excludes outstanding stock options and convertible debt in certain periods in which the inclusion of such options and debt would be anti-dilutive in the periods presented.

Preneed_Funeral_Activities_Tab

Preneed Funeral Activities (Tables)	3 Months Ended
	Mar. 31, 2014
Preneed funeral receivables net and trust investments [Line Items]	'
Schedule of Unrealized Loss on Investments [Table Text Block]	'
	Our cemetery merchandise and service trust investment unrealized losses, their associated fair values and the duration of unrealized losses as of March 31, 2014 are shown in the following tables:
		March 31, 2014
		In Loss Position								In Loss Position								Total
		Less Than 12 Months								Greater Than 12 Months
		Fair				Unrealized				Fair				Unrealized				Fair		Unrealized
		Value				Losses				Value				Losses				Value		Losses
										(In thousands)
	Fixed income securities:
	U.S. Treasury	$	38,848			$	(4,286	)		$	19,559			$	(2,269	)		58,407		(6,555		)
	Canadian government	11,259				(82		)		1,113				(33		)		12,372		(115		)
	Corporate	10,154				(271		)		2,718				(130		)		12,872		(401		)
	Residential mortgage-backed	169				(3		)		4				—				173		(3		)
	Equity securities:
	Preferred stock	2,260				(45		)		—				—				2,260		(45		)
	Common stock:
	United States	82,419				(5,575		)		2,909				(195		)		85,328		(5,770		)
	Canada	1,843				(123		)		2,395				(768		)		4,238		(891		)
	Other international	8,190				(699		)		625				(80		)		8,815		(779		)
	Mutual funds:
	Equity	2,199				(27		)		14,643				(1,458		)		16,842		(1,485		)
	Fixed income	84,375				(2,637		)		69,182				(24,706		)		153,557		(27,343		)
	Private equity	—				—				6,707				(4,686		)		6,707		(4,686		)
	Other	—				—				279				(6		)		279		(6		)
	Total temporarily impaired securities	$	241,716			$	(13,748	)		$	120,134			$	(34,331	)		$	361,850	$	(48,079	)
		December 31, 2013
		In Loss Position								In Loss Position								Total
		Less Than 12 Months								Greater Than 12 Months
		Fair				Unrealized				Fair				Unrealized				Fair		Unrealized
		Value				Losses				Value				Losses				Value		Losses
										(In thousands)
	Fixed income securities:
	U.S. Treasury	$	45,120			$	(6,040	)		$	25,043			$	(2,836	)		$	70,163	$	(8,876	)
	Canadian government	9,424				(120		)		3,066				(141		)		12,490		(261		)
	Corporate	15,050				(424		)		3,073				(222		)		18,123		(646		)
	Residential mortgage-backed	145				(2		)		2				—				147		(2		)
	Asset-backed	3,257				(13		)		—				—				3,257		(13		)
	Equity securities:
	Preferred stock	5,604				(123		)		—				—				5,604		(123		)
	Common stock:
	United States	46,317				(2,648		)		3,489				(583		)		49,806		(3,231		)
	Canada	1,569				(502		)		1,935				(433		)		3,504		(935		)
	Other international	4,344				(124		)		702				(76		)		5,046		(200		)
	Mutual funds:
	Equity	3,858				(54		)		14,477				(1,650		)		18,335		(1,704		)
	Fixed income	134,669				(5,527		)		64,009				(28,122		)		198,678		(33,649		)
	Private equity	—				—				6,589				(5,153		)		6,589		(5,153		)
	Other	—				—				282				(33		)		282		(33		)
	Total temporarily impaired securities	$	269,357			$	(15,577	)		$	122,667			$	(39,249	)		$	392,024	$	(54,826	)
	Our cemetery perpetual care trust investment unrealized losses, their associated fair values and the duration of unrealized losses, are shown in the following tables.
		March 31, 2014
		In Loss Position								In Loss Position								Total
		Less Than 12 Months								Greater Than 12 Months
		Fair				Unrealized				Fair				Unrealized				Fair		Unrealized
		Value				Losses				Value				Losses				Value		Losses
										(In thousands)
	Fixed income securities:
	U.S. Treasury	$	1,247			$	(11	)		$	2			$	—			$	1,249	$	(11	)
	Canadian government	18,422				(146		)		1,818				(58		)		20,240		(204		)
	Corporate	15,687				(148		)		3,204				(161		)		18,891		(309		)
	Residential mortgage-backed	685				(14		)		11				(1		)		696		(15		)
	Asset-backed	391				(4		)		15				—				406		(4		)
	Equity securities:
	Preferred stock	3,362				(57		)		46				(5		)		3,408		(62		)
Common stock:
United States	25,383				(1,519		)		2,755				(782		)		28,138		(2,301		)
Canada	1,233				(35		)		1,664				(544		)		2,897		(579		)
Other international	1,847				(21		)		1,020				(145		)		2,867		(166		)
Mutual funds:
Equity	397				(15		)		118				(12		)		515		(27		)
Fixed income	49,171				(893		)		9,632				(237		)		58,803		(1,130		)
Private equity	—				—				20,256				(8,753		)		20,256		(8,753		)
Other	14				(10		)		9,891				—				9,905		(10		)
Total temporarily impaired securities	$	117,839			$	(2,873	)		$	50,432			$	(10,698	)		$	168,271	$	(13,571	)
	December 31, 2013
	In Loss Position								In Loss Position								Total
	Less Than 12 Months								Greater Than 12 Months
	Fair				Unrealized				Fair				Unrealized				Fair		Unrealized
	Value				Losses				Value				Losses				Value		Losses
									(In thousands)
Fixed income securities:
U.S. Treasury	$	1,339			$	(14	)		$	20			$	—			$	1,359	$	(14	)
Canadian government	15,777				(214		)		5,131				(245		)		20,908		(459		)
Corporate	22,534				(129		)		3,299				(134		)		25,833		(263		)
Residential mortgage-backed	2,960				(18		)		10				(1		)		2,970		(19		)
Asset-backed	2,835				(10		)		15				(1		)		2,850		(11		)
Equity securities:
Preferred stock	14,650				(245		)		44				(7		)		14,694		(252		)
Common stock:
United States	23,825				(1,561		)		3,254				(526		)		27,079		(2,087		)
Canada	667				(129		)		1,794				(494		)		2,461		(623		)
Other international	1,540				(54		)		525				(113		)		2,065		(167		)
Mutual funds:
Equity	391				(14		)		163				(21		)		554		(35		)
Fixed income	181,701				(2,090		)		28,507				(508		)		210,208		(2,598		)
Private equity	—				—				19,242				(9,002		)		19,242		(9,002		)
Other	—				—				9,738				(84		)		9,738		(84		)
Total temporarily impaired securities	$	268,219			$	(4,478	)		$	71,742			$	(11,136	)		$	339,961	$	(15,614	)
Funeral [Member]	'
Preneed funeral receivables net and trust investments [Line Items]	'
Investment related activities [Table Text Block]	'
	The table below sets forth certain investment-related activities associated with our preneed funeral merchandise and service trusts:
		Three Months Ended
		March 31,
		2014				2013
		(In thousands)
	Deposits	$	27,923			$	22,199
	Withdrawals	43,737				32,705
	Purchases of available-for-sale securities	61,485				60,979
	Sales of available-for-sale securities	64,051				96,704
	Realized gains from sales of available-for-sale securities	16,101				11,371
	Realized losses from sales of available-for-sale securities	(1,474		)		(1,721		)
Long-term receivable and investment components [Table Text Block]	'
	The components of Preneed funeral receivables, net and trust investments in our unaudited condensed consolidated balance sheet at March 31, 2014 and December 31, 2013 are as follows:
		March 31, 2014				December 31, 2013
		(In thousands)
	Trust investments, at fair value	$	1,415,235			$	1,422,942
	Cash and cash equivalents	132,471				128,216
	Assets associated with businesses held for sale	(159,808		)		(163,436		)
	Insurance-backed fixed income securities	279,236				280,969
	Trust investments	1,667,134				1,668,691
	Receivables from customers	255,606				254,294
	Unearned finance charge	(6,826		)		(6,772		)
		1,915,914				1,916,213
	Allowance for cancellation	(44,375		)		(45,339		)
	Preneed funeral receivables, net and trust investments	$	1,871,539			$	1,870,874
Schedule of Available-for-sale Securities Reconciliation [Table Text Block]	'
	The cost and fair values associated with our funeral merchandise and service trust investments recorded at fair value at March 31, 2014 and December 31, 2013 are detailed below. Cost reflects the investment (net of redemptions) of control holders in common trust funds, mutual funds, and private equity investments. Fair value represents the market value of the underlying securities held by the common trust funds, mutual funds at published values, and the estimated fair value of private equity investments (including debt as well as the estimated fair value related to the contract holder’s equity in majority-owned real estate investments).
		March 31, 2014
		Fair Value Hierarchy Level		Cost				Unrealized				Unrealized				Fair
								Gains				Losses				Value
								(In thousands)
	Fixed income securities:
	U.S. Treasury	2		$	99,924			$	1,435			$	(4,221	)		$	97,138
	Canadian government	2		94,793				151				(1,066		)		93,878
	Corporate	2		56,892				3,965				(361		)		60,496
	Residential mortgage-backed	2		2,424				26				(33		)		2,417
	Asset-backed	2		3,358				65				—				3,423
	Equity securities:
	Preferred stock	2		29,322				1,921				(45		)		31,198
	Common stock:
	United States	1		369,338				75,887				(6,397		)		438,828
	Canada	1		25,182				4,721				(970		)		28,933
	Other international	1		34,811				4,904				(480		)		39,235
	Mutual funds:
	Equity	1		262,636				23,887				(2,132		)		284,391
	Fixed income	1		313,960				5,785				(15,800		)		303,945
	Private equity	3		32,568				3,069				(8,123		)		27,514
	Other	3		3,455				384				—				3,839
	Trust investments			$	1,328,663			$	126,200			$	(39,628	)		$	1,415,235
		December 31, 2013
		Fair Value Hierarchy Level		Cost				Unrealized				Unrealized				Fair
								Gains				Losses				Value
								(In thousands)
	Fixed income securities:
	U.S. Treasury	2		$	110,511			$	1,299			$	(5,599	)		$	106,211
	Canadian government	2		100,263				81				(1,113		)		99,231
	Corporate	2		64,042				3,515				(691		)		66,866
	Residential mortgage-backed	2		2,408				23				(33		)		2,398
	Asset-backed	2		3,366				—				(10		)		3,356
	Equity securities:
	Preferred stock	2		30,107				754				(235		)		30,626
	Common stock:
	United States	1		364,721				77,963				(2,928		)		439,756
	Canada	1		27,634				4,346				(1,216		)		30,764
	Other international	1		35,519				4,986				(199		)		40,306
	Mutual funds:
	Equity	1		257,256				22,530				(2,303		)		277,483
	Fixed income	1		313,606				3,228				(19,577		)		297,257
	Private equity	3		32,909				2,702				(8,726		)		26,885
	Other	3		1,545				291				(33		)		1,803
	Trust investments			$	1,343,887			$	121,718			$	(42,663	)		$	1,422,942
Fair Value, Assets Measured on Recurring Basis, Unobservable Input Reconciliation [Table Text Block]	'
	The change in our market-based funeral merchandise and service trust investments with significant unobservable inputs (Level 3) is as follows (in thousands):
		Three Months Ended
		March 31, 2014								March 31, 2013
		Private Equity				Other				Private Equity				Other
	Fair value, beginning balance	$	26,885			$	1,803			$	17,879			$	744
	Net unrealized gains (losses) included in Accumulated other comprehensive income(1)	(470		)		2,036				10,850				509
	Net realized losses included in Other income (expense), net(2)	(8		)		—				(5		)		(1		)
	Purchases	1,887				—				—				—
	Contributions	467				—				637				—
	Distributions	(1,247		)		—				(3,630		)		—
	Fair value, ending balance	$	27,514			$	3,839			$	25,731			$	1,252
Investments Classified by Contractual Maturity Date [Table Text Block]	'
	Maturity dates of our fixed income securities range from 2014 to 2043. Maturities of fixed income securities, excluding mutual funds, at March 31, 2014 are estimated as follows:
		Fair Value
		(In thousands)
	Due in one year or less	$	132,873
	Due in one to five years	54,732
	Due in five to ten years	40,276
	Thereafter	29,471
		$	257,352
Schedule of Unrealized Loss on Investments [Table Text Block]	'
	Our funeral merchandise and service trust investment unrealized losses, their associated fair values, and the duration of unrealized losses as of March 31, 2014 and December 31, 2013, respectively, are shown in the following tables:
		March 31, 2014
		In Loss Position								In Loss Position								Total
		Less Than 12 Months								Greater Than 12 Months
		Fair				Unrealized				Fair				Unrealized				Fair		Unrealized
		Value				Losses				Value				Losses				Value		Losses
										(In thousands)
	Fixed income securities:
	U.S. Treasury	$	22,414			$	(2,141	)		$	19,008			$	(2,080	)		$	41,422	$	(4,221	)
	Canadian government	4,831				(44		)		16,869				(1,022		)		21,700		(1,066		)
	Corporate	17,003				(288		)		1,182				(73		)		18,185		(361		)
	Residential mortgage-backed	1,250				(24		)		138				(9		)		1,388		(33		)
	Equity securities:
	Preferred stock	1,395				(45		)		—				—				1,395		(45		)
	Common stock:
	United States	87,310				(5,886		)		2,539				(511		)		89,849		(6,397		)
	Canada	7,257				(349		)		1,720				(621		)		8,977		(970		)
	Other international	4,373				(450		)		307				(30		)		4,680		(480		)
	Mutual funds:
	Equity	19,712				(400		)		12,319				(1,732		)		32,031		(2,132		)
	Fixed income	52,303				(1,978		)		54,279				(13,822		)		106,582		(15,800		)
	Private equity	—				—				13,265				(8,123		)		13,265		(8,123		)
	Total temporarily impaired securities	$	217,848			$	(11,605	)		$	121,626			$	(28,023	)		$	339,474	$	(39,628	)
		December 31, 2013
		In Loss Position								In Loss Position								Total
		Less Than 12 Months								Greater Than 12 Months
		Fair				Unrealized				Fair				Unrealized				Fair		Unrealized
		Value				Losses				Value				Losses				Value		Losses
										(In thousands)
	Fixed income securities:
	U.S. Treasury	$	28,693			$	(3,595	)		$	19,351			$	(2,004	)		$	48,044	$	(5,599	)
	Canadian government	9,546				(120		)		18,981				(993		)		28,527		(1,113		)
	Corporate	21,357				(346		)		5,654				(345		)		27,011		(691		)
	Residential mortgage-backed	1,381				(25		)		172				(8		)		1,553		(33		)
	Asset-backed	3,275				(10		)		—				—				3,275		(10		)
	Equity securities:
	Preferred stock	14,028				(235		)		—				—				14,028		(235		)
	Common stock:
	United States	46,544				(2,153		)		3,327				(775		)		49,871		(2,928		)
	Canada	2,433				(576		)		1,992				(641		)		4,425		(1,217		)
	Other international	3,396				(138		)		369				(60		)		3,765		(198		)
	Mutual funds:
	Equity	16,206				(337		)		12,456				(1,966		)		28,662		(2,303		)
	Fixed income	143,846				(4,984		)		38,217				(14,593		)		182,063		(19,577		)
	Private equity	—				—				13,002				(8,726		)		13,002		(8,726		)
	Other	—				—				527				(33		)		527		(33		)
	Total temporarily impaired securities	$	290,705			$	(12,519	)		$	114,048			$	(30,144	)		$	404,753	$	(42,663	)

Preneed_Cemetery_Activities_Ta

Preneed Cemetery Activities (Tables)	3 Months Ended
	Mar. 31, 2014
Preneed Cemetery Receivables, Net and Trust Investments [Line Items]	'
Schedule of Unrealized Loss on Investments [Table Text Block]	'
	Our cemetery merchandise and service trust investment unrealized losses, their associated fair values and the duration of unrealized losses as of March 31, 2014 are shown in the following tables:
		March 31, 2014
		In Loss Position								In Loss Position								Total
		Less Than 12 Months								Greater Than 12 Months
		Fair				Unrealized				Fair				Unrealized				Fair		Unrealized
		Value				Losses				Value				Losses				Value		Losses
										(In thousands)
	Fixed income securities:
	U.S. Treasury	$	38,848			$	(4,286	)		$	19,559			$	(2,269	)		58,407		(6,555		)
	Canadian government	11,259				(82		)		1,113				(33		)		12,372		(115		)
	Corporate	10,154				(271		)		2,718				(130		)		12,872		(401		)
	Residential mortgage-backed	169				(3		)		4				—				173		(3		)
	Equity securities:
	Preferred stock	2,260				(45		)		—				—				2,260		(45		)
	Common stock:
	United States	82,419				(5,575		)		2,909				(195		)		85,328		(5,770		)
	Canada	1,843				(123		)		2,395				(768		)		4,238		(891		)
	Other international	8,190				(699		)		625				(80		)		8,815		(779		)
	Mutual funds:
	Equity	2,199				(27		)		14,643				(1,458		)		16,842		(1,485		)
	Fixed income	84,375				(2,637		)		69,182				(24,706		)		153,557		(27,343		)
	Private equity	—				—				6,707				(4,686		)		6,707		(4,686		)
	Other	—				—				279				(6		)		279		(6		)
	Total temporarily impaired securities	$	241,716			$	(13,748	)		$	120,134			$	(34,331	)		$	361,850	$	(48,079	)
		December 31, 2013
		In Loss Position								In Loss Position								Total
		Less Than 12 Months								Greater Than 12 Months
		Fair				Unrealized				Fair				Unrealized				Fair		Unrealized
		Value				Losses				Value				Losses				Value		Losses
										(In thousands)
	Fixed income securities:
	U.S. Treasury	$	45,120			$	(6,040	)		$	25,043			$	(2,836	)		$	70,163	$	(8,876	)
	Canadian government	9,424				(120		)		3,066				(141		)		12,490		(261		)
	Corporate	15,050				(424		)		3,073				(222		)		18,123		(646		)
	Residential mortgage-backed	145				(2		)		2				—				147		(2		)
	Asset-backed	3,257				(13		)		—				—				3,257		(13		)
	Equity securities:
	Preferred stock	5,604				(123		)		—				—				5,604		(123		)
	Common stock:
	United States	46,317				(2,648		)		3,489				(583		)		49,806		(3,231		)
	Canada	1,569				(502		)		1,935				(433		)		3,504		(935		)
	Other international	4,344				(124		)		702				(76		)		5,046		(200		)
	Mutual funds:
	Equity	3,858				(54		)		14,477				(1,650		)		18,335		(1,704		)
	Fixed income	134,669				(5,527		)		64,009				(28,122		)		198,678		(33,649		)
	Private equity	—				—				6,589				(5,153		)		6,589		(5,153		)
	Other	—				—				282				(33		)		282		(33		)
	Total temporarily impaired securities	$	269,357			$	(15,577	)		$	122,667			$	(39,249	)		$	392,024	$	(54,826	)
	Our cemetery perpetual care trust investment unrealized losses, their associated fair values and the duration of unrealized losses, are shown in the following tables.
		March 31, 2014
		In Loss Position								In Loss Position								Total
		Less Than 12 Months								Greater Than 12 Months
		Fair				Unrealized				Fair				Unrealized				Fair		Unrealized
		Value				Losses				Value				Losses				Value		Losses
										(In thousands)
	Fixed income securities:
	U.S. Treasury	$	1,247			$	(11	)		$	2			$	—			$	1,249	$	(11	)
	Canadian government	18,422				(146		)		1,818				(58		)		20,240		(204		)
	Corporate	15,687				(148		)		3,204				(161		)		18,891		(309		)
	Residential mortgage-backed	685				(14		)		11				(1		)		696		(15		)
	Asset-backed	391				(4		)		15				—				406		(4		)
	Equity securities:
	Preferred stock	3,362				(57		)		46				(5		)		3,408		(62		)
Common stock:
United States	25,383				(1,519		)		2,755				(782		)		28,138		(2,301		)
Canada	1,233				(35		)		1,664				(544		)		2,897		(579		)
Other international	1,847				(21		)		1,020				(145		)		2,867		(166		)
Mutual funds:
Equity	397				(15		)		118				(12		)		515		(27		)
Fixed income	49,171				(893		)		9,632				(237		)		58,803		(1,130		)
Private equity	—				—				20,256				(8,753		)		20,256		(8,753		)
Other	14				(10		)		9,891				—				9,905		(10		)
Total temporarily impaired securities	$	117,839			$	(2,873	)		$	50,432			$	(10,698	)		$	168,271	$	(13,571	)
	December 31, 2013
	In Loss Position								In Loss Position								Total
	Less Than 12 Months								Greater Than 12 Months
	Fair				Unrealized				Fair				Unrealized				Fair		Unrealized
	Value				Losses				Value				Losses				Value		Losses
									(In thousands)
Fixed income securities:
U.S. Treasury	$	1,339			$	(14	)		$	20			$	—			$	1,359	$	(14	)
Canadian government	15,777				(214		)		5,131				(245		)		20,908		(459		)
Corporate	22,534				(129		)		3,299				(134		)		25,833		(263		)
Residential mortgage-backed	2,960				(18		)		10				(1		)		2,970		(19		)
Asset-backed	2,835				(10		)		15				(1		)		2,850		(11		)
Equity securities:
Preferred stock	14,650				(245		)		44				(7		)		14,694		(252		)
Common stock:
United States	23,825				(1,561		)		3,254				(526		)		27,079		(2,087		)
Canada	667				(129		)		1,794				(494		)		2,461		(623		)
Other international	1,540				(54		)		525				(113		)		2,065		(167		)
Mutual funds:
Equity	391				(14		)		163				(21		)		554		(35		)
Fixed income	181,701				(2,090		)		28,507				(508		)		210,208		(2,598		)
Private equity	—				—				19,242				(9,002		)		19,242		(9,002		)
Other	—				—				9,738				(84		)		9,738		(84		)
Total temporarily impaired securities	$	268,219			$	(4,478	)		$	71,742			$	(11,136	)		$	339,961	$	(15,614	)
Cemetery [Member]	'
Preneed Cemetery Receivables, Net and Trust Investments [Line Items]	'
Investment related activities [Table Text Block]	'
	The table below sets forth certain investment-related activities associated with our preneed cemetery merchandise and service trusts:
		Three Months Ended
		March 31,
		2014				2013
		(In thousands)
	Deposits	$	28,271			$	25,268
	Withdrawals	34,348				29,881
	Purchases of available-for-sale securities	98,758				105,722
	Sales of available-for-sale securities	92,317				125,743
	Realized gains from sales of available-for-sale securities	25,532				16,576
	Realized losses from sales of available-for-sale securities	(2,299		)		(2,170		)
Long-term receivable and investment components [Table Text Block]	'
	The components of Preneed cemetery receivables, net and trust investments in our unaudited condensed consolidated balance sheet at March 31, 2014 and December 31, 2013 are as follows:
		March 31, 2014				December 31, 2013
		(In thousands)
	Trust investments, at fair value	$	1,551,178			$	1,553,719
	Cash and cash equivalents	144,265				138,459
	Assets associated with businesses held for sale	(112,275		)		(107,481		)
	Insurance-backed fixed income securities	4				4
	Trust investments	1,583,172				1,584,701
	Receivables from customers	799,992				800,005
	Unearned finance charges	(28,163		)		(27,873		)
		2,355,001				2,356,833
	Allowance for cancellation	(53,368		)		(55,922		)
	Preneed cemetery receivables, net and trust investments	$	2,301,633			$	2,300,911
Schedule of Available-for-sale Securities Reconciliation [Table Text Block]	'
		March 31, 2014
		Fair Value Hierarchy Level		Cost				Unrealized				Unrealized				Fair
								Gains				Losses				Value
								(In thousands)
	Fixed income securities:
	U.S. Treasury	2		$	95,784			$	1,889			$	(6,555	)		$	91,118
	Canadian government	2		17,872				197				(115		)		17,954
	Corporate	2		45,148				6,188				(401		)		50,935
	Residential mortgage-backed	2		395				3				(3		)		395
	Asset-backed	2		3,317				81				—				3,398
	Equity securities:
	Preferred stock	2		14,871				1,216				(45		)		16,042
	Common stock:
	United States	1		434,792				138,660				(5,770		)		567,682
	Canada	1		14,972				4,235				(891		)		18,316
	Other international	1		42,993				9,336				(779		)		51,550
	Mutual funds:
	Equity	1		333,407				51,731				(1,485		)		383,653
	Fixed income	1		341,016				7,690				(27,343		)		321,363
	Private equity	3		28,281				3,924				(4,686		)		27,519
	Other	3		1,043				216				(6		)		1,253
	Trust investments			$	1,373,891			$	225,366			$	(48,079	)		$	1,551,178
		December 31, 2013
		Fair Value Hierarchy Level		Cost				Unrealized				Unrealized				Fair
								Gains				Losses				Value
								(In thousands)
	Fixed income securities:
	U.S. Treasury	2		$	113,621			$	1,714			$	(8,876	)		$	106,459
	Canadian government	2		17,073				170				(261		)		16,982
	Corporate	2		48,970				5,262				(646		)		53,586
	Residential mortgage-backed	2		408				2				(2		)		408
	Asset-backed	2		3,346				—				(13		)		3,333
	Equity securities:
	Preferred stock	2		16,708				1,106				(123		)		17,691
	Common stock:
	United States	1		425,246				147,258				(3,231		)		569,273
	Canada	1		15,368				4,063				(935		)		18,496
	Other international	1		44,184				10,079				(200		)		54,063
	Mutual funds:
	Equity	1		327,084				49,428				(1,704		)		374,808
	Fixed income	1		338,944				5,236				(33,649		)		310,531
	Private equity	3		28,625				3,372				(5,153		)		26,844
	Other	3		1,078				200				(33		)		1,245
	Trust investments			$	1,380,655			$	227,890			$	(54,826	)		$	1,553,719
Fair Value, Assets Measured on Recurring Basis, Unobservable Input Reconciliation [Table Text Block]	'
	The change in our market-based cemetery merchandise and service trust investments with significant unobservable inputs (Level 3) is as follows (in thousands):
		Three Months Ended
		March 31, 2014								31-Mar-13
		Private Equity				Other				Private Equity				Other
	Fair value, beginning balance	$	26,844			$	1,245			$	17,687			$	450
	Net unrealized gains included in Accumulated other comprehensive income(1)	1,487				9				11,400				587
	Net realized losses included in Other income (expense), net(2)	(8		)		(1		)		(7		)		(2		)
	Contributions	499				—				662				—
	Distributions	(1,303		)		—				(3,785		)		—
	Fair value, ending balance	$	27,519			$	1,253			$	25,957			$	1,035
Investments Classified by Contractual Maturity Date [Table Text Block]	'
	Maturity dates of our fixed income securities range from 2014 to 2043. Maturities of fixed income securities, excluding mutual funds, at March 31, 2014 are estimated as follows:
		Fair Value
		(In thousands)
	Due in one year or less	$	8,842
	Due in one to five years	71,928
	Due in five to ten years	36,756
	Thereafter	46,274
		$	163,800

Cemetery_Perpetual_Care_Trusts1

Cemetery Perpetual Care Trusts (Tables)	3 Months Ended
	Mar. 31, 2014
Cemetery Perpetual Care Trust Investments [Line Items]	'
Schedule of Unrealized Loss on Investments [Table Text Block]	'
	Our cemetery merchandise and service trust investment unrealized losses, their associated fair values and the duration of unrealized losses as of March 31, 2014 are shown in the following tables:
		March 31, 2014
		In Loss Position								In Loss Position								Total
		Less Than 12 Months								Greater Than 12 Months
		Fair				Unrealized				Fair				Unrealized				Fair		Unrealized
		Value				Losses				Value				Losses				Value		Losses
										(In thousands)
	Fixed income securities:
	U.S. Treasury	$	38,848			$	(4,286	)		$	19,559			$	(2,269	)		58,407		(6,555		)
	Canadian government	11,259				(82		)		1,113				(33		)		12,372		(115		)
	Corporate	10,154				(271		)		2,718				(130		)		12,872		(401		)
	Residential mortgage-backed	169				(3		)		4				—				173		(3		)
	Equity securities:
	Preferred stock	2,260				(45		)		—				—				2,260		(45		)
	Common stock:
	United States	82,419				(5,575		)		2,909				(195		)		85,328		(5,770		)
	Canada	1,843				(123		)		2,395				(768		)		4,238		(891		)
	Other international	8,190				(699		)		625				(80		)		8,815		(779		)
	Mutual funds:
	Equity	2,199				(27		)		14,643				(1,458		)		16,842		(1,485		)
	Fixed income	84,375				(2,637		)		69,182				(24,706		)		153,557		(27,343		)
	Private equity	—				—				6,707				(4,686		)		6,707		(4,686		)
	Other	—				—				279				(6		)		279		(6		)
	Total temporarily impaired securities	$	241,716			$	(13,748	)		$	120,134			$	(34,331	)		$	361,850	$	(48,079	)
		December 31, 2013
		In Loss Position								In Loss Position								Total
		Less Than 12 Months								Greater Than 12 Months
		Fair				Unrealized				Fair				Unrealized				Fair		Unrealized
		Value				Losses				Value				Losses				Value		Losses
										(In thousands)
	Fixed income securities:
	U.S. Treasury	$	45,120			$	(6,040	)		$	25,043			$	(2,836	)		$	70,163	$	(8,876	)
	Canadian government	9,424				(120		)		3,066				(141		)		12,490		(261		)
	Corporate	15,050				(424		)		3,073				(222		)		18,123		(646		)
	Residential mortgage-backed	145				(2		)		2				—				147		(2		)
	Asset-backed	3,257				(13		)		—				—				3,257		(13		)
	Equity securities:
	Preferred stock	5,604				(123		)		—				—				5,604		(123		)
	Common stock:
	United States	46,317				(2,648		)		3,489				(583		)		49,806		(3,231		)
	Canada	1,569				(502		)		1,935				(433		)		3,504		(935		)
	Other international	4,344				(124		)		702				(76		)		5,046		(200		)
	Mutual funds:
	Equity	3,858				(54		)		14,477				(1,650		)		18,335		(1,704		)
	Fixed income	134,669				(5,527		)		64,009				(28,122		)		198,678		(33,649		)
	Private equity	—				—				6,589				(5,153		)		6,589		(5,153		)
	Other	—				—				282				(33		)		282		(33		)
	Total temporarily impaired securities	$	269,357			$	(15,577	)		$	122,667			$	(39,249	)		$	392,024	$	(54,826	)
	Our cemetery perpetual care trust investment unrealized losses, their associated fair values and the duration of unrealized losses, are shown in the following tables.
		March 31, 2014
		In Loss Position								In Loss Position								Total
		Less Than 12 Months								Greater Than 12 Months
		Fair				Unrealized				Fair				Unrealized				Fair		Unrealized
		Value				Losses				Value				Losses				Value		Losses
										(In thousands)
	Fixed income securities:
	U.S. Treasury	$	1,247			$	(11	)		$	2			$	—			$	1,249	$	(11	)
	Canadian government	18,422				(146		)		1,818				(58		)		20,240		(204		)
	Corporate	15,687				(148		)		3,204				(161		)		18,891		(309		)
	Residential mortgage-backed	685				(14		)		11				(1		)		696		(15		)
	Asset-backed	391				(4		)		15				—				406		(4		)
	Equity securities:
	Preferred stock	3,362				(57		)		46				(5		)		3,408		(62		)
Common stock:
United States	25,383				(1,519		)		2,755				(782		)		28,138		(2,301		)
Canada	1,233				(35		)		1,664				(544		)		2,897		(579		)
Other international	1,847				(21		)		1,020				(145		)		2,867		(166		)
Mutual funds:
Equity	397				(15		)		118				(12		)		515		(27		)
Fixed income	49,171				(893		)		9,632				(237		)		58,803		(1,130		)
Private equity	—				—				20,256				(8,753		)		20,256		(8,753		)
Other	14				(10		)		9,891				—				9,905		(10		)
Total temporarily impaired securities	$	117,839			$	(2,873	)		$	50,432			$	(10,698	)		$	168,271	$	(13,571	)
	December 31, 2013
	In Loss Position								In Loss Position								Total
	Less Than 12 Months								Greater Than 12 Months
	Fair				Unrealized				Fair				Unrealized				Fair		Unrealized
	Value				Losses				Value				Losses				Value		Losses
									(In thousands)
Fixed income securities:
U.S. Treasury	$	1,339			$	(14	)		$	20			$	—			$	1,359	$	(14	)
Canadian government	15,777				(214		)		5,131				(245		)		20,908		(459		)
Corporate	22,534				(129		)		3,299				(134		)		25,833		(263		)
Residential mortgage-backed	2,960				(18		)		10				(1		)		2,970		(19		)
Asset-backed	2,835				(10		)		15				(1		)		2,850		(11		)
Equity securities:
Preferred stock	14,650				(245		)		44				(7		)		14,694		(252		)
Common stock:
United States	23,825				(1,561		)		3,254				(526		)		27,079		(2,087		)
Canada	667				(129		)		1,794				(494		)		2,461		(623		)
Other international	1,540				(54		)		525				(113		)		2,065		(167		)
Mutual funds:
Equity	391				(14		)		163				(21		)		554		(35		)
Fixed income	181,701				(2,090		)		28,507				(508		)		210,208		(2,598		)
Private equity	—				—				19,242				(9,002		)		19,242		(9,002		)
Other	—				—				9,738				(84		)		9,738		(84		)
Total temporarily impaired securities	$	268,219			$	(4,478	)		$	71,742			$	(11,136	)		$	339,961	$	(15,614	)
Cemetery Perpetual Care [Member]	'
Cemetery Perpetual Care Trust Investments [Line Items]	'
Investment related activities [Table Text Block]	'
	The table below sets forth certain investment-related activities associated with our cemetery perpetual care trusts:
		Three Months Ended
		March 31,
		2014				2013
		(In thousands)
	Deposits	$	11,837			$	8,228
	Withdrawals	5,885				9,569
	Purchases of available-for-sale securities	38,895				35,052
	Sales of available-for-sale securities	30,072				27,490
	Realized gains from sales of available-for-sale securities	5,045				3,782
	Realized losses from sales of available-for-sale securities	(337		)		(322		)
Long-term receivable and investment components [Table Text Block]	'
	The components of Cemetery perpetual care trust investments in our unaudited condensed consolidated balance sheet at March 31, 2014 and December 31, 2013 are as follows:
		March 31, 2014				December 31, 2013
		(In thousands)
	Trust investments, at fair value	$	1,373,613			$	1,352,539
	Cash and cash equivalents	81,773				78,509
	Assets associated with businesses held for sale	(112,797		)		(83,426		)
	Cemetery perpetual care trust investments	$	1,342,589			$	1,347,622
Schedule of Available-for-sale Securities Reconciliation [Table Text Block]	'
		March 31, 2014
		Fair Value Hierarchy Level		Cost				Unrealized				Unrealized				Fair
								Gains				Losses				Value
								(In thousands)
	Fixed income securities:
	U.S. Treasury	2		$	1,675			$	18			$	(11	)		$	1,682
	Canadian government	2		29,208				346				(204		)		29,350
	Corporate	2		41,561				733				(309		)		41,985
	Residential mortgage-backed	2		4,280				34				(15		)		4,299
	Asset-backed	2		3,001				67				(4		)		3,064
	Equity securities:
	Preferred stock	2		26,495				1,431				(62		)		27,864
	Common stock:
	United States	1		232,619				54,271				(2,301		)		284,589
	Canada	1		8,446				2,389				(579		)		10,256
	Other international	1		21,341				1,863				(166		)		23,038
	Mutual funds:
	Equity	1		40,452				7,385				(27		)		47,810
	Fixed income	1		822,406				45,882				(1,130		)		867,158
	Private equity	3		29,074				485				(8,753		)		20,806
	Other	3		10,571				1,151				(10		)		11,712
	Cemetery perpetual care trust investments			$	1,271,129			$	116,055			$	(13,571	)		$	1,373,613
		December 31, 2013
		Fair Value Hierarchy Level		Cost				Unrealized				Unrealized				Fair
								Gains				Losses				Value
								(In thousands)
	Fixed income securities:
	U.S. Treasury	2		$	1,588			$	9			$	(14	)		$	1,583
	Canadian government	2		28,487				301				(459		)		28,329
	Corporate	2		43,196				312				(263		)		43,245
	Residential mortgage-backed	2		4,258				14				(19		)		4,253
	Asset-backed	2		3,006				5				(11		)		3,000
	Equity securities:
	Preferred stock	2		25,952				192				(252		)		25,892
	Common stock:
	United States	1		231,156				53,782				(2,087		)		282,851
	Canada	1		8,846				2,222				(623		)		10,445
	Other international	1		20,676				1,319				(167		)		21,828
	Mutual funds:
	Equity	1		41,282				5,693				(35		)		46,940
	Fixed income	1		819,439				35,963				(2,598		)		852,804
	Private equity	3		28,309				472				(9,002		)		19,779
	Other	3		10,521				1,153				(84		)		11,590
	Cemetery perpetual care trust investments			$	1,266,716			$	101,437			$	(15,614	)		$	1,352,539
Fair Value, Assets Measured on Recurring Basis, Unobservable Input Reconciliation [Table Text Block]	'
	The change in our market-based cemetery perpetual care trust investments with significant unobservable inputs (Level 3) is as follows (in thousands):
		Three Months Ended
		March 31, 2014								March 31, 2013
		Private Equity				Other				Private Equity				Other
	Fair value, beginning balance	$	19,779			$	11,590			$	11,122			$	7,659
	Net unrealized gains included in Accumulated other comprehensive income(1)	727				128				6,069				2,729
	Net realized losses included in Other income (expense), net(2)	(12		)		(6		)		(82		)		(46		)
	Sales	(17		)		—				—				—
	Contributions	694				—				1				—
	Distributions	(365		)		—				(656		)		—
	Fair value, ending balance	$	20,806			$	11,712			$	16,454			$	10,342
Investments Classified by Contractual Maturity Date [Table Text Block]	'
	Maturity dates of our fixed income securities range from 2014 to 2043. Maturities of fixed income securities at March 31, 2014 are estimated as follows:
		Fair Value
		(In thousands)
	Due in one year or less	$	15,236
	Due in one to five years	35,515
	Due in five to ten years	24,753
	Thereafter	4,876
		$	80,380

Deferred_Preneed_Funeral_and_C1

Deferred Preneed Funeral and Cemetery Receipts Held in Trust and Care Trusts' Corpus (Tables)	3 Months Ended
	Mar. 31, 2014
Deferred Preneed Funeral and Cemetery Receipts Held in Trust and Care Trusts' Corpus [Abstract]	'
Schedule of Deferred Preneed Funeral and Cemetery Receitps Held in Trust Components [Table Text Block]	'
	The components of Deferred preneed funeral and cemetery receipts held in trust in our unaudited condensed consolidated balance sheet at March 31, 2014 and December 31, 2013 are detailed below.
		March 31, 2014									December 31, 2013
		Preneed			Preneed			Total			Preneed			Preneed			Total
		Funeral			Cemetery						Funeral			Cemetery
		(In thousands)									(In thousands)
	Trust investments	$	1,667,134		$	1,583,172		$	3,250,306		$	1,668,691		$	1,584,701		$	3,253,392
	Accrued trust operating payables and other	(1,934		)	(2,743		)	(4,677		)	(1,108		)	(1,698		)	(2,806		)
	Deferred preneed funeral and cemetery receipts held in trust	$	1,665,200		$	1,580,429		$	3,245,629		$	1,667,583		$	1,583,003		$	3,250,586
Schedule of Care Trust Corpus' Components [Table Text Block]	'
	The components of Care trusts’ corpus in our unaudited condensed consolidated balance sheet at March 31, 2014 and December 31, 2013 are detailed below.
		March 31, 2014			December 31, 2013
		(In thousands)
	Cemetery perpetual care trust investments	$	1,342,589		$	1,347,622
	Accrued trust operating payables and other	(2,228		)	(1,748		)
	Care trusts’ corpus	$	1,340,361		$	1,345,874
Schedule of Other Nonoperating Income, by Component [Table Text Block]	'
	The components of Other income (expense), net in our unaudited condensed consolidated statement of operations for the three months ended March 31, 2014 and 2013 are detailed below. See Notes 4, 5, and 6 for further discussion of the amounts related to the funeral, cemetery, and cemetery perpetual care trusts.
		Three Months Ended March 31, 2014
		Funeral			Cemetery			Cemetery Perpetual			Other, Net			Total
		Trusts			Trusts			Care Trusts
					(In thousands)
	Realized gains	$	16,101		$	25,532		$	5,045		$	—		$	46,678
	Realized losses	(1,474		)	(2,299		)	(337		)	—			(4,110		)
	Impairment charges	(251		)	(339		)	(40		)	—			(630		)
	Interest, dividend, and other ordinary income	5,574			2,495			9,586			—			17,655
	Trust expenses and income taxes	(4,467		)	(4,815		)	(1,547		)	—			(10,829		)
	Net trust investment income	15,483			20,574			12,707			—			48,764
	Reclassification to deferred preneed funeral and cemetery receipts held in trust and care trusts’ corpus	(15,483		)	(20,574		)	(12,707		)	—			(48,764		)
	Other income (expense), net	—			—			—			1,534			1,534
	Total other income, net	$	—		$	—		$	—		$	1,534		$	1,534
		Three Months Ended March 31, 2013
		Funeral			Cemetery			Cemetery Perpetual			Other, Net			Total
		Trusts			Trusts			Care Trusts
					(In thousands)
	Realized gains	$	11,371		$	16,576		$	3,782		$	—		$	31,729
	Realized losses	(1,721		)	(2,170		)	(322		)	—			(4,213		)
	Impairment charges	(200		)	(357		)	(63		)	—			(620		)
	Interest, dividend, and other ordinary income	1,817			1,529			6,089			—			9,435
	Trust expenses and income taxes	(2,381		)	(3,669		)	(575		)	—			(6,625		)
	Net trust investment income	8,886			11,909			8,911			—			29,706
	Reclassification to deferred preneed funeral and cemetery receipts held in trust and care trusts’ corpus	(8,886		)	(11,909		)	(8,911		)	—			(29,706		)
	Other income (expense), net	—			—			—			(984		)	(984		)
	Total other income, net	$	—		$	—		$	—		$	(984	)	$	(984	)

Debt_Tables

Debt (Tables)	3 Months Ended
	Mar. 31, 2014
Debt Instrument [Line Items]	'
Schedule of Debt [Table Text Block]	'
	Debt as of March 31, 2014 and December 31, 2013 was as follows:
		March 31, 2014			December 31, 2013
		(In thousands)
	3.125% Senior Convertible Notes due July 2014	$	95		$	85,256
	6.75% Senior Notes due April 2015	136,465			136,465
	6.75% Senior Notes due April 2016	197,377			197,377
	3.375% Senior Convertible Notes due July 2016	154			46,279
	7.0% Senior Notes due June 2017	295,000			295,000
	7.625% Senior Notes due October 2018	250,000			250,000
	6.5% Senior Notes due April 2019	200,000			200,000
	7.0% Senior Notes due May 2019	250,000			250,000
	4.5% Senior Notes due November 2020	200,000			200,000
	8.0% Senior Notes due November 2021	150,000			150,000
	5.375% Senior Notes due January 2022	425,000			425,000
	7.5% Senior Notes due April 2027	200,000			200,000
	Term Loan due July 2018	592,500			600,000
	Bank credit facility due July 2018	140,000			30,000
	Obligations under capital leases	192,528			189,697
	Mortgage notes and other debt, maturities through 2050	4,672			4,752
	Unamortized premiums and other, net	5,839			42,084
	Total debt	3,239,630			3,301,910
	Less:
	Current maturities of debt, capital lease obligations, and mortgage notes	(104,284		)	(153,738		)
	Current maturities of unamortized premiums and other, net	(1,421		)	(22,624		)
	Total current maturities	(105,705		)	(176,362		)
	Total long-term debt	$	3,133,925		$	3,125,548

Credit_Risk_and_Fair_Value_of_1

Credit Risk and Fair Value of Financial Instruments (Tables)	3 Months Ended
	Mar. 31, 2014
Credit Risk and Fair Value of Financial Instruments [Abstract]	'
Fair Value, Measurement Inputs, Disclosure [Table Text Block]	'
	The fair value of our debt instruments at March 31, 2014 and December 31, 2013 was as follows:
		March 31, 2014		December 31, 2013
		(In thousands)
	3.125% Senior Convertible Notes due July 2014	$	121	$	106,939
	6.75% Senior Notes due April 2015	143,179		144,653
	6.75% Senior Notes due April 2016	214,647		214,904
	3.375% Senior Convertible Notes due July 2016	185		60,487
	7.0% Senior Notes due June 2017	331,285		333,259
	7.625% Senior Notes due October 2018	288,438		288,875
	6.5% Senior Notes due April 2019	210,000		210,000
	7.0% Senior Notes due May 2019	266,250		270,000
	4.5% Senior Notes due November 2020	196,000		192,610
	8.0% Senior Notes due November 2021	173,625		173,625
	5.375% Senior Notes due January 2022	434,563		431,588
	7.5% Senior Notes due April 2027	216,500		215,750
	Term Loan due July 2018	592,500		600,000
	Bank credit facility due July 2018	140,000		30,000
	Mortgage notes and other debt, maturities through 2050	4,672		4,752
	Total fair value of debt instruments	$	3,211,965	$	3,277,442

ShareBased_Compensation_Tables

Share-Based Compensation (Tables)	3 Months Ended
	Mar. 31, 2014
Share-based Compensation [Abstract]	'
Schedule of Share-based Payment Award, Stock Options, Valuation Assumptions [Table Text Block]	'
	The fair values of our stock options are calculated using the following weighted average assumptions for the three months ended March 31, 2014:
			Three Months Ended
	Assumptions		March 31, 2014
	Dividend yield		1.8	%
	Expected volatility		27.1	%
	Risk-free interest rate		1.1	%
	Expected holding period (in years)		4
Schedule of Share-based Compensation, Stock Options, Activity [Table Text Block]	'
	The following table sets forth stock option activity for the three months ended March 31, 2014:
		Options			Weighted-Average
					Exercise Price
	Outstanding at December 31, 2013	13,319,750			$	9.84
	Granted	2,495,850			$	17.41
	Exercised	(964,403	)		$	8.82
	Outstanding at March 31, 2014	14,851,197			$	11.18
	Exercisable at March 31, 2014	10,339,379			$	9.14
Schedule of Share-based Compensation, Restricted Stock Units Award Activity [Table Text Block]	'
	Restricted share activity for the three months ended March 31, 2014 was as follows:
		Restricted			Weighted-Average
		shares			Grant-Date
					Fair Value
	Nonvested restricted shares at December 31, 2013	1,183,229			$	11.81
	Granted	344,570			$	17.41
	Vested	(187,549	)		$	11.44
	Nonvested restricted shares at March 31, 2014	1,340,250			$	13.3

Equity_Tables

Equity (Tables)	3 Months Ended
	Mar. 31, 2014
Equity [Abstract]	'
Schedule of Accumulated Other Comprehensive Income (Loss) [Table Text Block]	'
	Our components of Accumulated other comprehensive income are as follows:
		Foreign			Unrealized			Accumulated
		Currency			Gains and			Other
		Translation			Losses			Comprehensive
		Adjustment						Income
					(In thousands)
	Balance at December 31, 2013	$	88,441		$	—		$	88,441
	Activity in 2014	(11,226		)	—			(11,226		)
	Reduction in net unrealized gains associated with available-for-sale securities of the trusts, net of taxes	—			17,039			17,039
	Reclassification of net unrealized losses activity attributable to the Deferred preneed funeral and cemetery receipts held in trust and Care trusts’ corpus, net of taxes	—			(17,039		)	(17,039		)
	Balance at March 31, 2014	$	77,215		$	—		$	77,215

Tables

(Tables)	3 Months Ended
	Mar. 31, 2014
Segment Reporting, Reconciling Item for Operating Profit (Loss) from Segment to Consolidated [Line Items]	'
Schedule of Segment Reporting Information, by Segment [Table Text Block]	'
	Our reportable segment information is as follows:
		Funeral			Cemetery			Reportable
								Segments
		(In thousands)
	Three Months Ended March 31,
	Revenues from external customers:
	2014	$	510,668		$	236,455		$	747,123
	2013	$	462,019		$	190,333		$	652,352
	Gross profits:
	2014	$	119,389		$	46,993		$	166,382
	2013	$	120,131		$	39,526		$	159,657
Reconciliation of Operating Profit (Loss) from Segments to Consolidated [Table Text Block]	'
	The following table reconciles gross profits from reportable segments to our consolidated income before income taxes:
		Three Months Ended
		March 31,
		2014			2013
		(In thousands)
	Gross profits from reportable segments	$	166,382		$	159,657
	General and administrative expenses	(56,010		)	(30,923		)
	Losses on divestitures and impairment charges, net	(2,812		)	(969		)
	Operating income	107,560			127,765
	Interest expense	(44,996		)	(32,769		)
	Other income (expense), net	1,534			(984		)
	Income before income taxes	$	64,098		$	94,012
Schedule of Disclosure on Geographic Areas, Long-Lived Assets in Individual Foreign Countries by Country [Table Text Block]	'
	Our geographic area information is as follows:
		United			Canada			Germany		Total
		States
					(In thousands)
	Three Months Ended March 31,
	Revenues from external customers:
	2014	$	694,383		$	51,126		$	1,614	$	747,123
	2013	$	595,437		$	54,981		$	1,934	$	652,352

Supplementary_Information_Tabl

Supplementary Information (Tables)	3 Months Ended
	Mar. 31, 2014
Supplementary Information [Abstract]	'
Schedule of Product Information [Table Text Block]	'
	The detail of certain income statement accounts as presented in the unaudited condensed consolidated statement of operations is as follows:
		Three Months Ended
		March 31,
		2014		2013
		(In thousands)
	Merchandise revenues:
	Funeral	$	164,735	$	160,329
	Cemetery	155,392		129,476
	Total merchandise revenues	320,127		289,805
	Services revenues:
	Funeral	311,160		273,830
	Cemetery	71,383		54,568
	Total services revenues	382,543		328,398
	Other revenues	44,453		34,149
	Total revenues	$	747,123	$	652,352
	Merchandise costs and expenses:
	Funeral	$	81,954	$	75,781
	Cemetery	69,537		56,553
	Total cost of merchandise	151,491		132,334
	Services costs and expenses:
	Funeral	159,505		136,124
	Cemetery	37,038		26,331
	Total cost of services	196,543		162,455
	Overhead and other expenses	232,707		197,906
	Total costs and expenses	$	580,741	$	492,695

Earnings_Per_Share_Tables

Earnings Per Share (Tables)	3 Months Ended
	Mar. 31, 2014
Earnings Per Share, Diluted, by Common Class, Including Two Class Method [Line Items]	'
Schedule of Earnings Per Share, Basic and Diluted [Table Text Block]	'
	A reconciliation of the numerators and denominators of the basic and diluted EPS computations is presented below:
		Three Months Ended
		March 31,
		2014		2013
		(In thousands, except per
		share amounts)
	Amounts attributable to common stockholders:
	Net income:
	Net income — basic	$	41,102	$	57,620
	After tax interest on convertible debt	13		13
	Net income — diluted	$	41,115	$	57,633
	Weighted average shares (denominator):
	Weighted average shares — basic	212,838		211,380
	Stock options	4,272		3,707
	Convertible debt	121		121
	Weighted average shares — diluted	217,231		215,208
	Net income per share:
	Basic	$	0.19	$	0.27
	Diluted	$	0.19	$	0.27

Acquisition_Tables

Acquisition (Tables)	3 Months Ended
	Mar. 31, 2014						Mar. 31, 2013
Acquisition [Abstract]	'						'
Schedule of Recognized Identified Assets Acquired and Liabilities Assumed [Table Text Block]	'						'
		(In thousands)
	Accounts receivable	$	14,638
	Other current assets	198,760
	Cemetery property	282,524
	Property and equipment, net	338,363
	Preneed funeral and cemetery receivables and trust investments	654,805
	Finite-lived intangible assets	77,134
	Indefinite-lived intangible assets	79,400
	Acquired assets held for sale	443,169
	Deferred charges and other assets	278,319
	Goodwill	625,295
	Total assets acquired	2,992,407
	Current liabilities	217,175
	Long-term debt	270,668
	Deferred preneed funeral and cemetery revenues and deferred receipts held in trusts	834,320
	Assumed liabilities held for sale	162,668
	Deferred income taxes	62,409
	Other liabilities	279,694
	Total liabilities assumed	1,826,934
	Noncontrolling interest	118
	Net assets acquired	$	1,165,355
Schedule of Finite and Indefinte-lived Intangible Assets Acquired as Part of a Business Comination [Table Text Block]	'						'
		Useful life
		Minimum		Maximum	Fair Value
		(Years)			(In thousands)
	Preneed customer relationships related to insurance claims	10		20	$	28,500
	Other preneed customer relationships	10		14	21,960
	Selling and management agreements	20		40	5,900
	Covenants-not-to-compete	5		15	5,480
	Operating leases	26		34	6,144
	Tradenames	5		5	9,150
	Tradenames			Indefinite	77,900
	Licenses and permits			Indefinite	1,500
	Total intangible assets				$	156,534
Adjustments to Fair Value [Table Text Block]	'						'
		(In thousands)
	Decrease in the fair value of cemetery property	1,942
	Decrease in the fair value of property and equipment, net	2,093
	Decrease in the fair value of finite-lived intangible assets	29,146
	Increase in the fair value of deferred preneed funeral and cemetery revenues and deferred receipts held in trust	51,463
	Decrease in the fair value of deferred income taxes	(37,760	)
	Other	(751	)
	Total adjustment to goodwill	46,133
Business Acquisition, Pro Forma Information [Table Text Block]	'						'
								2013
								(In thousands)
								(unaudited)
							Revenue	$	750,105
							Net income	$	64,218

DivestitureRelated_Activities_1

Divestiture-Related Activities Divestiture-Related Activities (Tables)	3 Months Ended
	Mar. 31, 2014
Discontinued Operations and Disposal Groups [Abstract]	'
Gains (Losses) on Divestitures and Impairment Charges [Table Text Block]	'
		Three Months Ended
		31-Mar
		2014			2013
	(Losses) gains on divestitures, net	$	1,927		$	(891	)
	Impairment losses	(4,739		)	(78		)
		$	(2,812	)	$	(969	)

Guarantor_Tables

Guarantor (Tables)	3 Months Ended
	Mar. 31, 2014
Condensed Consolidating Financial Statements of Guarantors of Senior Notes [Abstract]	'
Condensed Income Statement [Table Text Block]	'
		Three Months Ended March 31, 2014
		Parent			Subsidiary Issuer			Guarantor Subsidiaries			Non-Guarantor Subsidiaries			Eliminations			Consolidated
	Revenues	$	—		$	—		$	110,165		$	636,958		$	—		$	747,123
	Costs and expenses	—			—			(78,197		)	(502,544		)	—			(580,741		)
	Gross profits	—			—			31,968			134,414			—			166,382
	General and administrative expenses	(267		)	(8,979		)	—			(46,764		)	—			(56,010		)
	Losses on divestitures and impairment charges, net	—			—			(66		)	(2,746		)	—			(2,812		)
	Operating income	$	(267	)	$	(8,979	)	$	31,902		$	84,904		$	—		$	107,560
	Interest expense	(40,593		)	(2,652		)	—			(1,751		)	—			(44,996		)
	Equity in subsidiaries	66,917			19,394			384			—			(86,695		)	—
	Other (expense) income, net	—			(2		)	1			1,535			—			1,534
	Income from continuing operations before income taxes	$	26,057		$	7,761		$	32,287		$	84,688		$	(86,695	)	$	64,098
	Benefit (provision) for income taxes	15,045			4,691			(12,863		)	(29,580		)	—			(22,707		)
	Net income	41,102			12,452			19,424			55,108			(86,695		)	41,391
	Net income attributable to noncontrolling interests	—			—			—			—			(289		)	$	(289	)
	Net income attributable to common stockholders	$	41,102		$	12,452		$	19,424		$	55,108		$	(86,984	)	$	41,102
	Condensed Consolidating Statements of Operations
		Three Months Ended March 31, 2013
		Parent			Non-Guarantor Subsidiaries			Eliminations			Consolidated
	Revenues	$	—		$	652,352		$	—		$	652,352
	Costs and expenses	—			(492,695		)	—			(492,695		)
	Gross profits	—			159,657			—			159,657
	General and administrative expenses	(262		)	(30,661		)	—			(30,923		)
	Losses on divestitures and impairment charges, net	—			(969		)	—			(969		)
	Operating income	(262		)	128,027			—			127,765
	Interest expense	(31,035		)	(1,734		)	—			(32,769		)
	Equity in subsidiaries	77,420			—			(77,420		)	—
	Other (expense) income, net	—			(984		)	—			(984		)
	Income from continuing operations before income taxes	46,123			125,309			(77,420		)	94,012
	Benefit (provision) for income taxes	11,497			(46,787		)	—			(35,290		)
	Net income	57,620			78,522			(77,420		)	58,722
	Net income attributable to noncontrolling interests	—			—			(1,102		)	(1,102		)
	Net income attributable to common stockholders	$	57,620		$	78,522		$	(78,522	)	$	57,620
Condensed Statement of Comprehensive Income [Table Text Block]	'
		Three Months Ended March 31, 2014
		Parent			Subsidiary Issuer			Guarantor Subsidiaries			Non-Guarantor Subsidiaries			Eliminations			Consolidated
	Net income	$	41,102		$	12,452		$	19,424		$	55,108		$	(86,695	)	$	41,391
	Other comprehensive income	(11,226		)	—			—			(11,226		)	10,937			(11,515		)
	Total comprehensive income attributable to common stockholders	$	29,876		$	12,452		$	19,424		$	43,882		$	(75,758	)	$	29,876
	Condensed Consolidating Statements of Comprehensive Income
		Three Months Ended March 31, 2013
		Parent			Non-Guarantor Subsidiaries			Eliminations			Consolidated
	Net income	$	57,620		$	78,522		$	(77,420	)	$	58,722
	Other comprehensive income	(5,512		)	(5,512		)	4,410			(6,614		)
	Total comprehensive income attributable to common stockholders	$	52,108		$	73,010		$	(73,010	)	$	52,108
Condensed Balance Sheet [Table Text Block]	'
		31-Mar-14
		Parent			Subsidiary Issuer			Guarantor Subsidiaries			Non-Guarantor Subsidiaries			Eliminations			Consolidated
	ASSETS
	Current assets:
	Cash and cash equivalents	$	—		$	21,341		$	753		$	126,525		$	—		$	148,619
	Receivables, net	—			909			5,536			99,368			—			105,813
	Inventories, net	—			—			10,194			24,314			—			34,508
	Current assets held for sale	—			—			4,164			1,576			—			5,740
	Other	9,176			7,668			34,403			30,077			—			81,324
	Total current assets	$	9,176		$	29,918		$	55,050		$	281,860		$	—		$	376,004
	Equity in subsidiaries	4,280,493			657,543			4,546			—			(4,942,582		)	—
	Preneed funeral receivables, net and trust investments	—			—			376,292			1,495,247			—			1,871,539
	Preneed cemetery receivables, net and trust investments	—			—			255,305			2,046,328			—			2,301,633
	Cemetery property, at cost	—			—			233,661			1,487,785			—			1,721,446
	Property and equipment, net	—			13,900			294,574			1,578,545			—			1,887,019
	Non-current assets held for sale	—			—			451,409			343,592			—			795,001
	Deferred charges and other assets	39,887			17,684			171,703			402,485			—			631,759
	Goodwill, net	—			647,890			—			1,330,731			—			1,978,621
	Cemetery perpetual care trust investments	—			—			206,859			1,135,730			—			1,342,589
	Total assets	$	4,329,556		$	1,366,935		$	2,049,399		$	10,102,303		$	(4,942,582	)	$	12,905,611
	LIABILITIES & EQUITY
	Current liabilities:
	Accounts payable and accrued liabilities	$	54,039		$	25,723		$	25,955		$	371,651		$	—		$	477,368
	Current maturities of long-term debt	—			95			291			105,319			—			105,705
	Current liabilities held for sale	—			—			3,484			1,366			—			4,850
	Income taxes	—			74			90			3,137			—			3,301
	Total current liabilities	$	54,039		$	25,892		$	29,820		$	481,473		$	—		$	591,224
	Long-term debt	2,833,690			209,418			172			90,645			—			3,133,925
	Deferred preneed funeral revenues	—			—			177,046			495,585			—			672,631
	Deferred preneed cemetery revenues	—			—			106,168			880,370			—			986,538
	Deferred tax liability	1,082			—			152,608			433,301			—			586,991
	Non-current liabilities held for sale	—			—			208,029			296,394			—			504,423
	Other liabilities	4,318			14,779			7,168			378,428			—			404,693
	Deferred preneed funeral and cemetery receipts held in trust	—			—			473,606			2,772,023			—			3,245,629
	Care trusts’ corpus	—			—			207,309			1,133,052			—			1,340,361
	Equity:
	Common stock	213,532			85,175			102			25			(85,302		)	213,532
	Other equity	1,145,680			1,031,671			687,371			3,141,007			(4,860,049		)	1,145,680
	Accumulated other comprehensive income	77,215			—			—			—			—			77,215
	Total common stockholders’ equity	1,436,427			1,116,846			687,473			3,141,032			(4,945,351		)	1,436,427
	Noncontrolling interests	—			—			—			—			2,769			2,769
	Total equity	1,436,427			1,116,846			687,473			3,141,032			(4,942,582		)	1,439,196
	Total liabilities and equity	$	4,329,556		$	1,366,935		$	2,049,399		$	10,102,303		$	(4,942,582	)	$	12,905,611
	Condensed Consolidating Balance Sheets
		31-Dec-13
		Parent			Subsidiary Issuer			Guarantor Subsidiaries			Non-Guarantor Subsidiaries			Eliminations			Consolidated
	ASSETS
	Current assets:
	Cash and cash equivalents	$	—		$	53,543		$	1,898		$	89,432		$	—		$	144,873
	Receivables, net	—			442			23,908			81,549			—			105,899
	Inventories, net	—			—			10,925			23,743			—			34,668
	Current assets held for sale	—			—			3,333			1,236			—			4,569
	Other	9,083			29,133			35,368			31,014			—			104,598
	Total current assets	9,083			83,118			75,432			226,974			—			394,607
	Equity in subsidiaries	4,132,098			828,457			4,546			—			(4,965,101		)	—
	Preneed funeral receivables, net and trust investments	—			—			358,567			1,512,307			—			1,870,874
	Preneed cemetery receivables, net and trust investments	—			—			265,346			2,035,565			—			2,300,911
	Cemetery property, at cost	—			—			264,226			1,482,899			—			1,747,125
	Property and equipment, net	—			15,243			306,174			1,599,451			—			1,920,868
	Non-current assets held for sale	—			—			443,170			303,304			—			746,474
	Deferred charges and other assets	42,068			31,807			150,665			407,548			—			632,088
	Goodwill, net	—			624,711			—			1,343,524			—			1,968,235
	Cemetery perpetual care trust investments	—			—			223,903			1,123,719			—			1,347,622
Total assets	$	4,183,249		$	1,583,336		$	2,092,029		$	10,035,291		$	(4,965,101	)	$	12,928,804
LIABILITIES & EQUITY
Current liabilities:
Accounts payable and accrued liabilities	$	31,914		$	46,020		$	43,706		$	365,008		$	—		$	486,648
Current maturities of long-term debt	30,000			106,939			—			39,423			—			176,362
Current liabilities held for sale	—			—			1,647			1,536			—			3,183
Income taxes	—			560			1,427			4,404			—			6,391
Total current liabilities	61,914			153,519			46,780			410,371			—			672,584
Long-term debt	2,701,611			270,578			89			153,270			—			3,125,548
Deferred preneed funeral revenues	—			—			176,958			509,202			—			686,160
Deferred preneed cemetery revenues	—			—			85,163			889,594			—			974,757
Deferred tax liability	1,092			—			61,835			518,513			—			581,440
Non-current liabilities held for sale	—			—			162,668			274,416			—			437,084
Other liabilities	4,402			29,944			11,116			384,931			—			430,393
Deferred preneed funeral and cemetery receipts held in trust	—			—			503,667			2,746,919			—			3,250,586
Care trusts’ corpus	—			—			223,903			1,121,971			—			1,345,874
Equity:
Common stock	212,317			85,175			102			25			(85,302		)	212,317
Other equity	1,113,472			1,044,120			819,748			2,937,638			(4,801,506		)	1,113,472
Accumulated other comprehensive income	88,441			—			—			88,441			(88,441		)	88,441
Total common stockholders’ equity	1,414,230			1,129,295			819,850			3,026,104			(4,975,249		)	1,414,230
Noncontrolling interests	—			—			—			—			10,148			10,148
Total equity	1,414,230			1,129,295			819,850			3,026,104			(4,965,101		)	1,424,378
Total liabilities and equity	$	4,183,249		$	1,583,336		$	2,092,029		$	10,035,291		$	(4,965,101	)	$	12,928,804
Condensed Cash Flow Statement [Table Text Block]	'
	Condensed Consolidating Statements of Cash Flows
		Three Months Ended March 31, 2014
		Parent			Subsidiary Issuer			Guarantor Subsidiaries			Non-Guarantor Subsidiaries			Eliminations			Consolidated
	Net cash (used in) provided by operating activities	$	(28,168	)	$	(32,202	)	$	47,998		$	140,259		$	—		$	127,887
	Cash flows from investing activities:
	Capital expenditures	—			—			(4,120		)	(21,102		)	—			(25,222		)
	Acquisitions, net of cash acquired	—			—			—			(779		)	—			(779		)
	Proceeds from divestitures and sales of property and equipment	—			—			—			2,639			—			2,639
	Net withdrawals (deposits) of restricted funds and other	—			2,035			(14,260		)	—			—			(12,225		)
	Contributions to subsidiaries	(70,858		)	—			—			—			70,858			—
	Net cash (used in) provided by investing activities	(70,858		)	2,035			(18,380		)	(19,242		)	70,858			(35,587		)
	Cash flows from financing activities:
	Proceeds from issuance of long-term debt	110,000			—			—			—			—			110,000
	Payments of debt	(7,500		)	—			—			(79		)	—			(7,579		)
	Early extinguishment of debt	—			(167,093		)	—			—			—			(167,093		)
	Principal payments on capital leases	—			—			(23		)	(7,208		)	—			(7,231		)
	Proceeds from exercise of stock options	7,915			—			—			—			—			7,915
	Excess tax benefits from share based awards	6,744			—			—			—			—			6,744
	Purchase of Company common stock	(1,053		)	—			—			—			—			(1,053		)
	Payments of dividends	(17,080		)	—			—			—			—			(17,080		)
	Purchase of noncontrolling interest	—			—			—			(15,000		)	—			(15,000		)
	Bank overdrafts and other	—			—			—			3,762			—			3,762
	Contributions from (distributions to) parent	—			165,058			(30,740		)	(63,460		)	(70,858		)	—
	Net cash provided by (used in) financing activities	99,026			(2,035		)	(30,763		)	(81,985		)	(70,858		)	(86,615		)
	Effect of foreign currency	—			—			—			(1,939		)	—			(1,939		)
	Net decrease (increase) in cash and cash equivalents	—			(32,202		)	(1,145		)	37,093			—			3,746
	Cash and cash equivalents at beginning of period	—			53,543			1,898			89,432			—			144,873
	Cash and cash equivalents at end of period	$	—		$	21,341		$	753		$	126,525		$	—		$	148,619
	Condensed Consolidating Statements of Cash Flows
		Three Months Ended March 31, 2013
		Parent			Non-Guarantor Subsidiaries			Eliminations			Consolidated
	Net cash (used in) provided by operating activities	$	(1,261	)	$	152,385		$	—		$	151,124
	Cash flows from investing activities:
	Capital expenditures	—			(22,569		)	—			(22,569		)
	Proceeds from divestitures and sales of property and equipment	—			1,816			—			1,816
	Net withdrawals (deposits) of restricted funds and other	—			339			—			339
	Distributions from subsidiaries	16,558			—			(16,558		)	—
	Net cash provided by (used in) investing activities	16,558			(20,414		)	(16,558		)	(20,414		)
	Cash flows from financing activities:
	Payments of debt	(4,757		)	(191		)	—			(4,948		)
	Principal payments on capital leases	—			(6,468		)	—			(6,468		)
	Proceeds from exercise of stock options	3,094			—			—			3,094
	Excess tax benefits from share based awards	772			—			—			772
	Purchase of Company common stock	(1,708		)	—			—			(1,708		)
	Payments of dividends	(12,698		)	—			—			(12,698		)
	Distributions to parent	—			(16,558		)	16,558			—
	Purchase of noncontrolling interest	—			(8,333		)	—			(8,333		)
	Bank overdrafts and other	—			(4,004		)	—			(4,004		)
	Net cash (used in) provided by financing activities	(15,297		)	(35,554		)	16,558			(34,293		)
	Effect of foreign currency	—			(579		)	—			(579		)
	Net increase in cash and cash equivalents	—			95,838			—			95,838
	Cash and cash equivalents at beginning of period	—			92,708			—			92,708
	Cash and cash equivalents at end of period	$	—		$	188,546		$	—		$	188,546

Summary_of_Significant_Account2

Summary of Significant Accounting Policies Reclassifications (Details) (USD $)	Dec. 31, 2013
In Millions, unless otherwise specified
Accounting Policies [Abstract]	'
Reclassification of debt	$30

Preneed_Funeral_Activities_Inv

Preneed Funeral Activities Investment Related Activities (Details) (USD $)	3 Months Ended
In Thousands, unless otherwise specified	Mar. 31, 2014	Mar. 31, 2013	Dec. 31, 2013
Investment related activities [Line Items]	'	'	'
Realized gains from sales of available-for-sale securities	$46,678	$31,729	'
Realized losses from sales of available-for-sale securities	-4,110	-4,213	'
Funeral [Member]	'	'	'
Investment related activities [Line Items]	'	'	'
Assets of Disposal Group, Including Discontinued Operation, Current	-159,808	'	-163,436
Deposits	27,923	22,199	'
Withdrawals	43,737	32,705	'
Purchases of available-for-sale securities	61,485	60,979	'
Sales of available-for-sale securities	64,051	96,704	'
Realized gains from sales of available-for-sale securities	16,101	11,371	'
Realized losses from sales of available-for-sale securities	($1,474)	($1,721)	'

Preneed_Funeral_Activities_Lon

Preneed Funeral Activities Long-term Receivable and Investment (Details) (USD $)	Mar. 31, 2014	Dec. 31, 2013
In Thousands, unless otherwise specified
Long-term receivable and investment components [Line Items]	'	'
Preneed funeral receivables and trust investments	$1,871,539	$1,870,874
Funeral [Member]	'	'
Long-term receivable and investment components [Line Items]	'	'
Trust investments, at market	1,415,235	1,422,942
Cash and cash equivalents	132,471	128,216
Insurance-backed fixed income securities	279,236	280,969
Trust investments	1,667,134	1,668,691
Receivables from customers	255,606	254,294
Unearned finance charges	-6,826	-6,772
Preneed funeral receivables, net and trust investments, excluding allowance for cancellation	1,915,914	1,916,213
Allowance for cancellation	-44,375	-45,339
Preneed funeral receivables and trust investments	$1,871,539	$1,870,874

Preneed_Funeral_Activities_Sch

Preneed Funeral Activities Schedule of Available-for-sale Securities (Details) (Funeral [Member], USD $)	3 Months Ended	12 Months Ended
In Thousands, unless otherwise specified	Mar. 31, 2014	Dec. 31, 2013
Schedule of Available-for-sale Securities [Line Items]	'	'
Available-for-sale Securities, Amortized Cost Basis	$1,328,663	$1,343,887
Available-for-sale Securities, Gross Unrealized Gains	126,200	121,718
Available-for-sale Securities, Gross Unrealized Losses	-39,628	-42,663
Available-for-sale Securities, Fair Value	1,415,235	1,422,942
Fair Value, Inputs, Level 2 [Member] | US Treasury Securities [Member]	'	'
Schedule of Available-for-sale Securities [Line Items]	'	'
Available-for-sale Securities, Amortized Cost Basis	99,924	110,511
Available-for-sale Securities, Gross Unrealized Gains	1,435	1,299
Available-for-sale Securities, Gross Unrealized Losses	-4,221	-5,599
Available-for-sale Securities, Fair Value	97,138	106,211
Fair Value, Inputs, Level 2 [Member] | Foreign Government Debt Securities [Member]	'	'
Schedule of Available-for-sale Securities [Line Items]	'	'
Available-for-sale Securities, Amortized Cost Basis	94,793	100,263
Available-for-sale Securities, Gross Unrealized Gains	151	81
Available-for-sale Securities, Gross Unrealized Losses	-1,066	-1,113
Available-for-sale Securities, Fair Value	93,878	99,231
Fair Value, Inputs, Level 2 [Member] | Corporate Debt Securities [Member]	'	'
Schedule of Available-for-sale Securities [Line Items]	'	'
Available-for-sale Securities, Amortized Cost Basis	56,892	64,042
Available-for-sale Securities, Gross Unrealized Gains	3,965	3,515
Available-for-sale Securities, Gross Unrealized Losses	-361	-691
Available-for-sale Securities, Fair Value	60,496	66,866
Fair Value, Inputs, Level 2 [Member] | Residential Mortgage Backed Securities [Member]	'	'
Schedule of Available-for-sale Securities [Line Items]	'	'
Available-for-sale Securities, Amortized Cost Basis	2,424	2,408
Available-for-sale Securities, Gross Unrealized Gains	26	23
Available-for-sale Securities, Gross Unrealized Losses	-33	-33
Available-for-sale Securities, Fair Value	2,417	2,398
Fair Value, Inputs, Level 2 [Member] | Asset-backed Securities [Member]	'	'
Schedule of Available-for-sale Securities [Line Items]	'	'
Available-for-sale Securities, Amortized Cost Basis	3,358	3,366
Available-for-sale Securities, Gross Unrealized Gains	65	0
Available-for-sale Securities, Gross Unrealized Losses	0	-10
Available-for-sale Securities, Fair Value	3,423	3,356
Fair Value, Inputs, Level 2 [Member] | Preferred Stock securities [Member]	'	'
Schedule of Available-for-sale Securities [Line Items]	'	'
Available-for-sale Securities, Amortized Cost Basis	29,322	30,107
Available-for-sale Securities, Gross Unrealized Gains	1,921	754
Available-for-sale Securities, Gross Unrealized Losses	-45	-235
Available-for-sale Securities, Fair Value	31,198	30,626
Fair Value, Inputs, Level 1 [Member] | US Common Stock Securities [Member]	'	'
Schedule of Available-for-sale Securities [Line Items]	'	'
Available-for-sale Securities, Amortized Cost Basis	369,338	364,721
Available-for-sale Securities, Gross Unrealized Gains	75,887	77,963
Available-for-sale Securities, Gross Unrealized Losses	-6,397	-2,928
Available-for-sale Securities, Fair Value	438,828	439,756
Fair Value, Inputs, Level 1 [Member] | Canada Common Stock Securities [Member]	'	'
Schedule of Available-for-sale Securities [Line Items]	'	'
Available-for-sale Securities, Amortized Cost Basis	25,182	27,634
Available-for-sale Securities, Gross Unrealized Gains	4,721	4,346
Available-for-sale Securities, Gross Unrealized Losses	-970	-1,216
Available-for-sale Securities, Fair Value	28,933	30,764
Fair Value, Inputs, Level 1 [Member] | Other International Common Stock Securities [Member]	'	'
Schedule of Available-for-sale Securities [Line Items]	'	'
Available-for-sale Securities, Amortized Cost Basis	34,811	35,519
Available-for-sale Securities, Gross Unrealized Gains	4,904	4,986
Available-for-sale Securities, Gross Unrealized Losses	-480	-199
Available-for-sale Securities, Fair Value	39,235	40,306
Fair Value, Inputs, Level 1 [Member] | Equity Funds [Member]	'	'
Schedule of Available-for-sale Securities [Line Items]	'	'
Available-for-sale Securities, Amortized Cost Basis	262,636	257,256
Available-for-sale Securities, Gross Unrealized Gains	23,887	22,530
Available-for-sale Securities, Gross Unrealized Losses	-2,132	-2,303
Available-for-sale Securities, Fair Value	284,391	277,483
Fair Value, Inputs, Level 1 [Member] | Fixed Income Funds [Member]	'	'
Schedule of Available-for-sale Securities [Line Items]	'	'
Available-for-sale Securities, Amortized Cost Basis	313,960	313,606
Available-for-sale Securities, Gross Unrealized Gains	5,785	3,228
Available-for-sale Securities, Gross Unrealized Losses	-15,800	-19,577
Available-for-sale Securities, Fair Value	303,945	297,257
Fair Value, Inputs, Level 3 [Member] | Private Equity Funds [Member]	'	'
Schedule of Available-for-sale Securities [Line Items]	'	'
Available-for-sale Securities, Amortized Cost Basis	32,568	32,909
Available-for-sale Securities, Gross Unrealized Gains	3,069	2,702
Available-for-sale Securities, Gross Unrealized Losses	-8,123	-8,726
Available-for-sale Securities, Fair Value	27,514	26,885
Fair Value, Inputs, Level 3 [Member] | Other Investments [Member]	'	'
Schedule of Available-for-sale Securities [Line Items]	'	'
Available-for-sale Securities, Amortized Cost Basis	3,455	1,545
Available-for-sale Securities, Gross Unrealized Gains	384	291
Available-for-sale Securities, Gross Unrealized Losses	0	-33
Available-for-sale Securities, Fair Value	$3,839	$1,803

Preneed_Funeral_Activities_Lev

Preneed Funeral Activities Level 3 Activities (Details) (Funeral [Member], USD $)	3 Months Ended
In Thousands, unless otherwise specified	Mar. 31, 2014		Mar. 31, 2013
Private Equity Funds [Member]	'		'
Fair Value, Assets Measured on Recurring Basis, Unobservable Input Reconciliation, Calculation [Roll Forward]	'		'
Fair market value, beginning balance	$26,885		$17,879
Net unrealized (losses) gains included in Accumulated other comprehensive income	-470	[1]	10,850	[1]
Net realized losses included in Other income, net(2)	-8	[2]	-5	[2]
Payments to Acquire Other Investments	1,887		0
Contributions	467		637
Distributions and other	-1,247		-3,630
Fair market value, ending balance	27,514		25,731
Other Investments [Member]	'		'
Fair Value, Assets Measured on Recurring Basis, Unobservable Input Reconciliation, Calculation [Roll Forward]	'		'
Fair market value, beginning balance	1,803		744
Net unrealized (losses) gains included in Accumulated other comprehensive income	2,036	[1]	509	[1]
Net realized losses included in Other income, net(2)	0	[2]	-1	[2]
Payments to Acquire Other Investments	0		0
Contributions	0		0
Distributions and other	0		0
Fair market value, ending balance	$3,839		$1,252
[1]	All unrealized gains (losses) recognized in Accumulated other comprehensive income for our funeral merchandise and service trust investments are attributable to our preneed customers and are offset by a corresponding reclassification in Accumulated other comprehensive income to Deferred preneed funeral and cemetery receipts held in trust. See Note 7 for further information related to our Deferred preneed funeral and cemetery receipts held in trust.
[2]	All losses recognized in Other income (expense), net for our funeral merchandise and service trust investments are attributable to our preneed customers and are offset by a corresponding reclassification in Other income (expense), net to Deferred preneed funeral and cemetery receipts held in trust. See Note 7 for further information related to our Deferred preneed funeral and cemetery receipts held in trust.

Preneed_Funeral_Activities_Inv1

Preneed Funeral Activities Investments Classified by Contractual Maturity Date (Details) (Funeral [Member], USD $)	Mar. 31, 2014
In Thousands, unless otherwise specified
Funeral [Member]	'
Investments Classified By Contractual Maturity Date [Line Items]	'
Available-for-sale Securities, Debt Maturities, within One Year, Fair Value	$132,873
Available-for-sale Securities, Debt Maturities, after One Through Five Years, Fair Value	54,732
Available-for-sale Securities, Debt Maturities, after Five Through Ten Years, Fair Value	40,276
Available-for-sale Securities, Debt Maturities, after Ten Years, Fair Value	29,471
Available-for-sale Securities, Debt Maturities, Total, Fair Value	$257,352

Preneed_Funeral_Activities_Sch1

Preneed Funeral Activities Schedule of Unrealized Loss on Investments (Details) (USD $)	3 Months Ended	12 Months Ended
In Thousands, unless otherwise specified	Mar. 31, 2014	Dec. 31, 2013
Funeral [Member]	'	'
Schedule of unrealized loss on investments [Line Items]	'	'
Available-for-sale Securities, Continuous Unrealized Loss Position, Less than Twelve Months, Fair Value	$217,848	$290,705
Available-for-sale Securities, Continuous Unrealized Loss Position, Less than 12 Months, Aggregate Losses	-11,605	-12,519
Available-for-sale Securities, Continuous Unrealized Loss Position, Twelve Months or Longer, Fair Value	121,626	114,048
Available-for-sale Securities, Continuous Unrealized Loss Position, 12 Months or Longer, Aggregate Losses	-28,023	-30,144
Available-for-sale Securities, Continuous Unrealized Loss Position, Fair Value	339,474	404,753
Available-for-sale Securities, Continuous Unrealized Loss Position, Aggregate Losses	-39,628	-42,663
US Treasury Securities [Member] | Funeral [Member]	'	'
Schedule of unrealized loss on investments [Line Items]	'	'
Available-for-sale Securities, Continuous Unrealized Loss Position, Less than Twelve Months, Fair Value	22,414	28,693
Available-for-sale Securities, Continuous Unrealized Loss Position, Less than 12 Months, Aggregate Losses	-2,141	-3,595
Available-for-sale Securities, Continuous Unrealized Loss Position, Twelve Months or Longer, Fair Value	19,008	19,351
Available-for-sale Securities, Continuous Unrealized Loss Position, 12 Months or Longer, Aggregate Losses	-2,080	-2,004
Available-for-sale Securities, Continuous Unrealized Loss Position, Fair Value	41,422	48,044
Available-for-sale Securities, Continuous Unrealized Loss Position, Aggregate Losses	-4,221	-5,599
Foreign Government Debt Securities [Member] | Funeral [Member]	'	'
Schedule of unrealized loss on investments [Line Items]	'	'
Available-for-sale Securities, Continuous Unrealized Loss Position, Less than Twelve Months, Fair Value	4,831	9,546
Available-for-sale Securities, Continuous Unrealized Loss Position, Less than 12 Months, Aggregate Losses	-44	-120
Available-for-sale Securities, Continuous Unrealized Loss Position, Twelve Months or Longer, Fair Value	16,869	18,981
Available-for-sale Securities, Continuous Unrealized Loss Position, 12 Months or Longer, Aggregate Losses	-1,022	-993
Available-for-sale Securities, Continuous Unrealized Loss Position, Fair Value	21,700	28,527
Available-for-sale Securities, Continuous Unrealized Loss Position, Aggregate Losses	-1,066	-1,113
Corporate Debt Securities [Member] | Funeral [Member]	'	'
Schedule of unrealized loss on investments [Line Items]	'	'
Available-for-sale Securities, Continuous Unrealized Loss Position, Less than Twelve Months, Fair Value	17,003	21,357
Available-for-sale Securities, Continuous Unrealized Loss Position, Less than 12 Months, Aggregate Losses	-288	-346
Available-for-sale Securities, Continuous Unrealized Loss Position, Twelve Months or Longer, Fair Value	1,182	5,654
Available-for-sale Securities, Continuous Unrealized Loss Position, 12 Months or Longer, Aggregate Losses	-73	-345
Available-for-sale Securities, Continuous Unrealized Loss Position, Fair Value	18,185	27,011
Available-for-sale Securities, Continuous Unrealized Loss Position, Aggregate Losses	-361	-691
Residential Mortgage Backed Securities [Member] | Funeral [Member]	'	'
Schedule of unrealized loss on investments [Line Items]	'	'
Available-for-sale Securities, Continuous Unrealized Loss Position, Less than Twelve Months, Fair Value	1,250	1,381
Available-for-sale Securities, Continuous Unrealized Loss Position, Less than 12 Months, Aggregate Losses	-24	-25
Available-for-sale Securities, Continuous Unrealized Loss Position, Twelve Months or Longer, Fair Value	138	172
Available-for-sale Securities, Continuous Unrealized Loss Position, 12 Months or Longer, Aggregate Losses	-9	-8
Available-for-sale Securities, Continuous Unrealized Loss Position, Fair Value	1,388	1,553
Available-for-sale Securities, Continuous Unrealized Loss Position, Aggregate Losses	-33	-33
Asset-backed Securities [Member] | Funeral [Member]	'	'
Schedule of unrealized loss on investments [Line Items]	'	'
Available-for-sale Securities, Continuous Unrealized Loss Position, Less than Twelve Months, Fair Value	'	3,275
Available-for-sale Securities, Continuous Unrealized Loss Position, Less than 12 Months, Aggregate Losses	'	-10
Available-for-sale Securities, Continuous Unrealized Loss Position, Twelve Months or Longer, Fair Value	'	0
Available-for-sale Securities, Continuous Unrealized Loss Position, 12 Months or Longer, Aggregate Losses	'	0
Available-for-sale Securities, Continuous Unrealized Loss Position, Fair Value	'	3,275
Available-for-sale Securities, Continuous Unrealized Loss Position, Aggregate Losses	'	-10
Preferred Stock securities [Member] | Funeral [Member]	'	'
Schedule of unrealized loss on investments [Line Items]	'	'
Available-for-sale Securities, Continuous Unrealized Loss Position, Less than Twelve Months, Fair Value	1,395	14,028
Available-for-sale Securities, Continuous Unrealized Loss Position, Less than 12 Months, Aggregate Losses	-45	-235
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	1,395	14,028
Available-for-sale Securities, Continuous Unrealized Loss Position, Aggregate Losses	-45	-235
US Common Stock Securities [Member] | Funeral [Member]	'	'
Schedule of unrealized loss on investments [Line Items]	'	'
Available-for-sale Securities, Continuous Unrealized Loss Position, Less than Twelve Months, Fair Value	87,310	46,544
Available-for-sale Securities, Continuous Unrealized Loss Position, Less than 12 Months, Aggregate Losses	-5,886	-2,153
Available-for-sale Securities, Continuous Unrealized Loss Position, Twelve Months or Longer, Fair Value	2,539	3,327
Available-for-sale Securities, Continuous Unrealized Loss Position, 12 Months or Longer, Aggregate Losses	-511	-775
Available-for-sale Securities, Continuous Unrealized Loss Position, Fair Value	89,849	49,871
Available-for-sale Securities, Continuous Unrealized Loss Position, Aggregate Losses	-6,397	-2,928
Canada Common Stock Securities [Member] | Funeral [Member]	'	'
Schedule of unrealized loss on investments [Line Items]	'	'
Available-for-sale Securities, Continuous Unrealized Loss Position, Less than Twelve Months, Fair Value	7,257	2,433
Available-for-sale Securities, Continuous Unrealized Loss Position, Less than 12 Months, Aggregate Losses	-349	-576
Available-for-sale Securities, Continuous Unrealized Loss Position, Twelve Months or Longer, Fair Value	1,720	1,992
Available-for-sale Securities, Continuous Unrealized Loss Position, 12 Months or Longer, Aggregate Losses	-621	-641
Available-for-sale Securities, Continuous Unrealized Loss Position, Fair Value	8,977	4,425
Available-for-sale Securities, Continuous Unrealized Loss Position, Aggregate Losses	-970	-1,217
Other International Common Stock Securities [Member] | Funeral [Member]	'	'
Schedule of unrealized loss on investments [Line Items]	'	'
Available-for-sale Securities, Continuous Unrealized Loss Position, Less than Twelve Months, Fair Value	4,373	3,396
Available-for-sale Securities, Continuous Unrealized Loss Position, Less than 12 Months, Aggregate Losses	-450	-138
Available-for-sale Securities, Continuous Unrealized Loss Position, Twelve Months or Longer, Fair Value	307	369
Available-for-sale Securities, Continuous Unrealized Loss Position, 12 Months or Longer, Aggregate Losses	-30	-60
Available-for-sale Securities, Continuous Unrealized Loss Position, Fair Value	4,680	3,765
Available-for-sale Securities, Continuous Unrealized Loss Position, Aggregate Losses	-480	-198
Equity Funds [Member] | Funeral [Member]	'	'
Schedule of unrealized loss on investments [Line Items]	'	'
Available-for-sale Securities, Continuous Unrealized Loss Position, Less than Twelve Months, Fair Value	19,712	16,206
Available-for-sale Securities, Continuous Unrealized Loss Position, Less than 12 Months, Aggregate Losses	-400	-337
Available-for-sale Securities, Continuous Unrealized Loss Position, Twelve Months or Longer, Fair Value	12,319	12,456
Available-for-sale Securities, Continuous Unrealized Loss Position, 12 Months or Longer, Aggregate Losses	-1,732	-1,966
Available-for-sale Securities, Continuous Unrealized Loss Position, Fair Value	32,031	28,662
Available-for-sale Securities, Continuous Unrealized Loss Position, Aggregate Losses	-2,132	-2,303
Fixed Income Funds [Member] | Funeral [Member]	'	'
Schedule of unrealized loss on investments [Line Items]	'	'
Available-for-sale Securities, Continuous Unrealized Loss Position, Less than Twelve Months, Fair Value	52,303	143,846
Available-for-sale Securities, Continuous Unrealized Loss Position, Less than 12 Months, Aggregate Losses	-1,978	-4,984
Available-for-sale Securities, Continuous Unrealized Loss Position, Twelve Months or Longer, Fair Value	54,279	38,217
Available-for-sale Securities, Continuous Unrealized Loss Position, 12 Months or Longer, Aggregate Losses	-13,822	-14,593
Available-for-sale Securities, Continuous Unrealized Loss Position, Fair Value	106,582	182,063
Available-for-sale Securities, Continuous Unrealized Loss Position, Aggregate Losses	-15,800	-19,577
Private Equity Funds [Member] | Funeral [Member]	'	'
Schedule of unrealized 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	13,265	13,002
Available-for-sale Securities, Continuous Unrealized Loss Position, 12 Months or Longer, Aggregate Losses	-8,123	-8,726
Available-for-sale Securities, Continuous Unrealized Loss Position, Fair Value	13,265	13,002
Available-for-sale Securities, Continuous Unrealized Loss Position, Aggregate Losses	-8,123	-8,726
Other Investments [Member]	'	'
Schedule of unrealized 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	279	'
Available-for-sale Securities, Continuous Unrealized Loss Position, 12 Months or Longer, Aggregate Losses	-6	'
Available-for-sale Securities, Continuous Unrealized Loss Position, Fair Value	279	'
Available-for-sale Securities, Continuous Unrealized Loss Position, Aggregate Losses	-6	'
Other Investments [Member] | Funeral [Member]	'	'
Schedule of unrealized 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	'	527
Available-for-sale Securities, Continuous Unrealized Loss Position, 12 Months or Longer, Aggregate Losses	'	-33
Available-for-sale Securities, Continuous Unrealized Loss Position, Fair Value	'	527
Available-for-sale Securities, Continuous Unrealized Loss Position, Aggregate Losses	'	($33)

Preneed_Funeral_Activities_Pre

Preneed Funeral Activities Preneed Funeral Activities, Textuals (Details) (USD $)	3 Months Ended
	Mar. 31, 2014	Mar. 31, 2013
Other than Temporary Impairment Losses, Investments, Portion Recognized in Earnings, Net	$630,000	$620,000
Funeral [Member]	'	'
Available-for-sale securities, estimated maturity date, minimum	'2014	'
Underlying assets liquidation range, minimum	'2 years	'
Fair Value, Measurement with unobservable inputs, risk discount, low end of the range	0.00%	'
Fair Value, Measurement with unobservable inputs, risk discount, high end of the range	20.00%	'
Fair Value, Measurement with unobservable inputs, liquidity discount, low end of the range	0.00%	'
Fair Value, Measurement with unobservable inputs, liquidity discount, high end of the range	10.00%	'
Fair Value, Investments, Entities that Calculate Net Asset Value Per Share, Unfunded Commitments	7,500,000	'
Investment Earnings, Net	16,100,000	12,300,000
Other than Temporary Impairment Losses, Investments, Portion Recognized in Earnings, Net	$251,000	$200,000
Underlying assets liquidation range, maximum	'10 years	'
Available-for-sale securities, estimated maturity date, maximum	'2043	'

Preneed_Cemetery_Activities_In

Preneed Cemetery Activities Investment Related Activities (Details) (USD $)	3 Months Ended		12 Months Ended
In Thousands, unless otherwise specified	Mar. 31, 2014	Mar. 31, 2013	Dec. 31, 2013
Investment related activities [Line Items]	'	'	'
Realized gains from sales of available-for-sale securities	$46,678	$31,729	'
Realized losses from sales of available-for-sale securities	-4,110	-4,213	'
Cemetery [Member]	'	'	'
Investment related activities [Line Items]	'	'	'
Available-for-sale Securities, Continuous Unrealized Loss Position, Less than Twelve Months, Fair Value	241,716	'	269,357
Available-for-sale Securities, Continuous Unrealized Loss Position, Less than 12 Months, Aggregate Losses	-13,748	'	15,577
Available-for-sale Securities, Continuous Unrealized Loss Position, Twelve Months or Longer, Fair Value	120,134	'	122,667
Available-for-sale Securities, Continuous Unrealized Loss Position, 12 Months or Longer, Aggregate Losses	-34,331	'	39,249
Available-for-sale Securities, Continuous Unrealized Loss Position, Fair Value	361,850	'	392,024
Available-for-sale Securities, Continuous Unrealized Loss Position, Aggregate Losses	-48,079	'	-54,826
Deposits	28,271	25,268	'
Withdrawals	34,348	29,881	'
Purchases of available-for-sale securities	98,758	105,722	'
Sales of available-for-sale securities	92,317	125,743	'
Realized gains from sales of available-for-sale securities	25,532	16,576	'
Realized losses from sales of available-for-sale securities	-2,299	-2,170	'
Residential Mortgage Backed Securities [Member] | Cemetery [Member]	'	'	'
Investment related activities [Line Items]	'	'	'
Available-for-sale Securities, Continuous Unrealized Loss Position, Less than Twelve Months, Fair Value	169	'	145
Available-for-sale Securities, Continuous Unrealized Loss Position, Less than 12 Months, Aggregate Losses	-3	'	-2
Available-for-sale Securities, Continuous Unrealized Loss Position, Twelve Months or Longer, Fair Value	4	'	2
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	173	'	147
Available-for-sale Securities, Continuous Unrealized Loss Position, Aggregate Losses	-3	'	-2
Private Equity Funds [Member] | Cemetery [Member]	'	'	'
Investment related activities [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	6,707	'	6,589
Available-for-sale Securities, Continuous Unrealized Loss Position, 12 Months or Longer, Aggregate Losses	-4,686	'	-5,153
Available-for-sale Securities, Continuous Unrealized Loss Position, Fair Value	6,707	'	6,589
Available-for-sale Securities, Continuous Unrealized Loss Position, Aggregate Losses	-4,686	'	-5,153
Other Investments [Member]	'	'	'
Investment related activities [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	279	'	'
Available-for-sale Securities, Continuous Unrealized Loss Position, 12 Months or Longer, Aggregate Losses	-6	'	'
Available-for-sale Securities, Continuous Unrealized Loss Position, Fair Value	279	'	'
Available-for-sale Securities, Continuous Unrealized Loss Position, Aggregate Losses	-6	'	'
Other Investments [Member] | Cemetery [Member]	'	'	'
Investment related activities [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	'	'	282
Available-for-sale Securities, Continuous Unrealized Loss Position, 12 Months or Longer, Aggregate Losses	'	'	-33
Available-for-sale Securities, Continuous Unrealized Loss Position, Fair Value	'	'	282
Available-for-sale Securities, Continuous Unrealized Loss Position, Aggregate Losses	'	'	-33
Asset-backed Securities [Member] | Cemetery [Member]	'	'	'
Investment related activities [Line Items]	'	'	'
Available-for-sale Securities, Continuous Unrealized Loss Position, Less than Twelve Months, Fair Value	391	'	3,257
Available-for-sale Securities, Continuous Unrealized Loss Position, Less than 12 Months, Aggregate Losses	-4	'	-13
Available-for-sale Securities, Continuous Unrealized Loss Position, Twelve Months or Longer, Fair Value	15	'	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	406	'	3,257
Available-for-sale Securities, Continuous Unrealized Loss Position, Aggregate Losses	($4)	'	($13)

Preneed_Cemetery_Activities_Lo

Preneed Cemetery Activities Long-term Receivable and Investment (Details) (USD $)	Mar. 31, 2014	Dec. 31, 2013
In Thousands, unless otherwise specified
Long-term receivable and investment components [Line Items]	'	'
Preneed cemetery receivables, net and trust investments	$2,301,633	$2,300,911
Cemetery [Member]	'	'
Long-term receivable and investment components [Line Items]	'	'
Trust investments, at market	1,551,178	1,553,719
Cash and cash equivalents	144,265	138,459
Assets of Disposal Group, Including Discontinued Operation, Current	-112,275	-107,481
Insurance-backed fixed income securities	4	4
Trust investments	1,583,172	1,584,701
Receivables from customers	799,992	800,005
Unearned finance charges	-28,163	-27,873
Preneed cemetery receivables, net and trust investments, excluding allowance for cancellation	2,355,001	2,356,833
Allowance for cancellation	-53,368	-55,922
Preneed cemetery receivables, net and trust investments	$2,301,633	$2,300,911

Preneed_Cemetery_Activities_Sc

Preneed Cemetery Activities Schedule of Available-for-sale Securities (Details) (Cemetery [Member], USD $)	3 Months Ended	12 Months Ended
In Thousands, unless otherwise specified	Mar. 31, 2014	Dec. 31, 2013
Schedule of Available-for-sale Securities [Line Items]	'	'
Available-for-sale Securities, Amortized Cost Basis	$1,373,891	$1,380,655
Available-for-sale Securities, Gross Unrealized Gains	225,366	227,890
Available-for-sale Securities, Gross Unrealized Losses	-48,079	-54,826
Available-for-sale Securities, Fair Value	1,551,178	1,553,719
Fair Value, Inputs, Level 2 [Member] | US Treasury Securities [Member]	'	'
Schedule of Available-for-sale Securities [Line Items]	'	'
Available-for-sale Securities, Amortized Cost Basis	95,784	113,621
Available-for-sale Securities, Gross Unrealized Gains	1,889	1,714
Available-for-sale Securities, Gross Unrealized Losses	-6,555	-8,876
Available-for-sale Securities, Fair Value	91,118	106,459
Fair Value, Inputs, Level 2 [Member] | Foreign Government Debt Securities [Member]	'	'
Schedule of Available-for-sale Securities [Line Items]	'	'
Available-for-sale Securities, Amortized Cost Basis	17,872	17,073
Available-for-sale Securities, Gross Unrealized Gains	197	170
Available-for-sale Securities, Gross Unrealized Losses	-115	-261
Available-for-sale Securities, Fair Value	17,954	16,982
Fair Value, Inputs, Level 2 [Member] | Corporate Debt Securities [Member]	'	'
Schedule of Available-for-sale Securities [Line Items]	'	'
Available-for-sale Securities, Amortized Cost Basis	45,148	48,970
Available-for-sale Securities, Gross Unrealized Gains	6,188	5,262
Available-for-sale Securities, Gross Unrealized Losses	-401	-646
Available-for-sale Securities, Fair Value	50,935	53,586
Fair Value, Inputs, Level 2 [Member] | Residential Mortgage Backed Securities [Member]	'	'
Schedule of Available-for-sale Securities [Line Items]	'	'
Available-for-sale Securities, Amortized Cost Basis	395	408
Available-for-sale Securities, Gross Unrealized Gains	3	2
Available-for-sale Securities, Gross Unrealized Losses	-3	-2
Available-for-sale Securities, Fair Value	395	408
Fair Value, Inputs, Level 2 [Member] | Asset-backed Securities [Member]	'	'
Schedule of Available-for-sale Securities [Line Items]	'	'
Available-for-sale Securities, Amortized Cost Basis	3,317	3,346
Available-for-sale Securities, Gross Unrealized Gains	81	0
Available-for-sale Securities, Gross Unrealized Losses	0	-13
Available-for-sale Securities, Fair Value	3,398	3,333
Fair Value, Inputs, Level 2 [Member] | Preferred Stock securities [Member]	'	'
Schedule of Available-for-sale Securities [Line Items]	'	'
Available-for-sale Securities, Amortized Cost Basis	14,871	16,708
Available-for-sale Securities, Gross Unrealized Gains	1,216	1,106
Available-for-sale Securities, Gross Unrealized Losses	-45	-123
Available-for-sale Securities, Fair Value	16,042	17,691
Fair Value, Inputs, Level 1 [Member] | US Common Stock Securities [Member]	'	'
Schedule of Available-for-sale Securities [Line Items]	'	'
Available-for-sale Securities, Amortized Cost Basis	434,792	425,246
Available-for-sale Securities, Gross Unrealized Gains	138,660	147,258
Available-for-sale Securities, Gross Unrealized Losses	-5,770	-3,231
Available-for-sale Securities, Fair Value	567,682	569,273
Fair Value, Inputs, Level 1 [Member] | Canada Common Stock Securities [Member]	'	'
Schedule of Available-for-sale Securities [Line Items]	'	'
Available-for-sale Securities, Amortized Cost Basis	14,972	15,368
Available-for-sale Securities, Gross Unrealized Gains	4,235	4,063
Available-for-sale Securities, Gross Unrealized Losses	-891	-935
Available-for-sale Securities, Fair Value	18,316	18,496
Fair Value, Inputs, Level 1 [Member] | Other International Common Stock Securities [Member]	'	'
Schedule of Available-for-sale Securities [Line Items]	'	'
Available-for-sale Securities, Amortized Cost Basis	42,993	44,184
Available-for-sale Securities, Gross Unrealized Gains	9,336	10,079
Available-for-sale Securities, Gross Unrealized Losses	-779	-200
Available-for-sale Securities, Fair Value	51,550	54,063
Fair Value, Inputs, Level 1 [Member] | Equity Funds [Member]	'	'
Schedule of Available-for-sale Securities [Line Items]	'	'
Available-for-sale Securities, Amortized Cost Basis	333,407	327,084
Available-for-sale Securities, Gross Unrealized Gains	51,731	49,428
Available-for-sale Securities, Gross Unrealized Losses	-1,485	-1,704
Available-for-sale Securities, Fair Value	383,653	374,808
Fair Value, Inputs, Level 1 [Member] | Fixed Income Funds [Member]	'	'
Schedule of Available-for-sale Securities [Line Items]	'	'
Available-for-sale Securities, Amortized Cost Basis	341,016	338,944
Available-for-sale Securities, Gross Unrealized Gains	7,690	5,236
Available-for-sale Securities, Gross Unrealized Losses	-27,343	-33,649
Available-for-sale Securities, Fair Value	321,363	310,531
Fair Value, Inputs, Level 3 [Member] | Private Equity Funds [Member]	'	'
Schedule of Available-for-sale Securities [Line Items]	'	'
Available-for-sale Securities, Amortized Cost Basis	28,281	28,625
Available-for-sale Securities, Gross Unrealized Gains	3,924	3,372
Available-for-sale Securities, Gross Unrealized Losses	-4,686	-5,153
Available-for-sale Securities, Fair Value	27,519	26,844
Fair Value, Inputs, Level 3 [Member] | Other Investments [Member]	'	'
Schedule of Available-for-sale Securities [Line Items]	'	'
Available-for-sale Securities, Amortized Cost Basis	1,043	1,078
Available-for-sale Securities, Gross Unrealized Gains	216	200
Available-for-sale Securities, Gross Unrealized Losses	-6	-33
Available-for-sale Securities, Fair Value	$1,253	$1,245

Preneed_Cemetery_Activities_Le

Preneed Cemetery Activities Level 3 Activities (Details) (Cemetery [Member], USD $)	3 Months Ended
In Thousands, unless otherwise specified	Mar. 31, 2014		Mar. 31, 2013
Private Equity Funds [Member]	'		'
Fair Value, Assets Measured on Recurring Basis, Unobservable Input Reconciliation, Calculation [Roll Forward]	'		'
Fair market value, beginning balance	$26,844		$17,687
Net unrealized losses included in Accumulated other comprehensive income	1,487	[1]	11,400	[1]
Net realized losses included in Other income, net(2)	-8	[2]	-7	[2]
Contributions	499		662
Distributions and other	-1,303		-3,785
Fair market value, ending balance	27,519		25,957
Other Investments [Member]	'		'
Fair Value, Assets Measured on Recurring Basis, Unobservable Input Reconciliation, Calculation [Roll Forward]	'		'
Fair market value, beginning balance	1,245		450
Net unrealized losses included in Accumulated other comprehensive income	9	[1]	587	[1]
Net realized losses included in Other income, net(2)	-1	[2]	-2	[2]
Contributions	0		0
Distributions and other	0		0
Fair market value, ending balance	$1,253		$1,035
[1]	All unrealized gains (losses) recognized in Accumulated other comprehensive income for our funeral merchandise and service trust investments are attributable to our preneed customers and are offset by a corresponding reclassification in Accumulated other comprehensive income to Deferred preneed funeral and cemetery receipts held in trust. See Note 7 for further information related to our Deferred preneed funeral and cemetery receipts held in trust.
[2]	All losses recognized in Other income (expense), net for our funeral merchandise and service trust investments are attributable to our preneed customers and are offset by a corresponding reclassification in Other income (expense), net to Deferred preneed funeral and cemetery receipts held in trust. See Note 7 for further information related to our Deferred preneed funeral and cemetery receipts held in trust.

Preneed_Cemetery_Activities_In1

Preneed Cemetery Activities Investments Classified by Contractual Maturity Date (Details) (Cemetery [Member], USD $)	Mar. 31, 2014
In Thousands, unless otherwise specified
Cemetery [Member]	'
Investments Classified By Contractual Maturity Date [Line Items]	'
Available-for-sale Securities, Debt Maturities, within One Year, Fair Value	$8,842
Available-for-sale Securities, Debt Maturities, after One Through Five Years, Fair Value	71,928
Available-for-sale Securities, Debt Maturities, after Five Through Ten Years, Fair Value	36,756
Available-for-sale Securities, Debt Maturities, after Ten Years, Fair Value	46,274
Available-for-sale Securities, Debt Maturities, Total, Fair Value	$163,800

Preneed_Cemetery_Activities_Sc1

Preneed Cemetery Activities Schedule of Unrealized Loss on Invstments (Details) (USD $)	3 Months Ended	12 Months Ended
In Thousands, unless otherwise specified	Mar. 31, 2014	Dec. 31, 2013
Cemetery [Member]	'	'
Schedule of unrealized loss on investments [Line Items]	'	'
Available-for-sale Securities, Continuous Unrealized Loss Position, Less than Twelve Months, Fair Value	$241,716	$269,357
Available-for-sale Securities, Continuous Unrealized Loss Position, Less than 12 Months, Aggregate Losses	-13,748	15,577
Available-for-sale Securities, Continuous Unrealized Loss Position, Twelve Months or Longer, Fair Value	120,134	122,667
Available-for-sale Securities, Continuous Unrealized Loss Position, 12 Months or Longer, Aggregate Losses	-34,331	39,249
Available-for-sale Securities, Continuous Unrealized Loss Position, Fair Value	361,850	392,024
Available-for-sale Securities, Continuous Unrealized Loss Position, Aggregate Losses	-48,079	-54,826
US Treasury Securities [Member] | Cemetery [Member]	'	'
Schedule of unrealized loss on investments [Line Items]	'	'
Available-for-sale Securities, Continuous Unrealized Loss Position, Less than Twelve Months, Fair Value	38,848	45,120
Available-for-sale Securities, Continuous Unrealized Loss Position, Less than 12 Months, Aggregate Losses	-4,286	-6,040
Available-for-sale Securities, Continuous Unrealized Loss Position, Twelve Months or Longer, Fair Value	19,559	25,043
Available-for-sale Securities, Continuous Unrealized Loss Position, 12 Months or Longer, Aggregate Losses	-2,269	-2,836
Available-for-sale Securities, Continuous Unrealized Loss Position, Fair Value	58,407	70,163
Available-for-sale Securities, Continuous Unrealized Loss Position, Aggregate Losses	-6,555	-8,876
Foreign Government Debt Securities [Member] | Cemetery [Member]	'	'
Schedule of unrealized loss on investments [Line Items]	'	'
Available-for-sale Securities, Continuous Unrealized Loss Position, Less than Twelve Months, Fair Value	11,259	9,424
Available-for-sale Securities, Continuous Unrealized Loss Position, Less than 12 Months, Aggregate Losses	-82	-120
Available-for-sale Securities, Continuous Unrealized Loss Position, Twelve Months or Longer, Fair Value	1,113	3,066
Available-for-sale Securities, Continuous Unrealized Loss Position, 12 Months or Longer, Aggregate Losses	-33	-141
Available-for-sale Securities, Continuous Unrealized Loss Position, Fair Value	12,372	12,490
Available-for-sale Securities, Continuous Unrealized Loss Position, Aggregate Losses	-115	-261
Corporate Debt Securities [Member] | Cemetery [Member]	'	'
Schedule of unrealized loss on investments [Line Items]	'	'
Available-for-sale Securities, Continuous Unrealized Loss Position, Less than Twelve Months, Fair Value	10,154	15,050
Available-for-sale Securities, Continuous Unrealized Loss Position, Less than 12 Months, Aggregate Losses	-271	-424
Available-for-sale Securities, Continuous Unrealized Loss Position, Twelve Months or Longer, Fair Value	2,718	3,073
Available-for-sale Securities, Continuous Unrealized Loss Position, 12 Months or Longer, Aggregate Losses	-130	-222
Available-for-sale Securities, Continuous Unrealized Loss Position, Fair Value	12,872	18,123
Available-for-sale Securities, Continuous Unrealized Loss Position, Aggregate Losses	-401	-646
Residential Mortgage Backed Securities [Member] | Cemetery [Member]	'	'
Schedule of unrealized loss on investments [Line Items]	'	'
Available-for-sale Securities, Continuous Unrealized Loss Position, Less than Twelve Months, Fair Value	169	145
Available-for-sale Securities, Continuous Unrealized Loss Position, Less than 12 Months, Aggregate Losses	-3	-2
Available-for-sale Securities, Continuous Unrealized Loss Position, Twelve Months or Longer, Fair Value	4	2
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	173	147
Available-for-sale Securities, Continuous Unrealized Loss Position, Aggregate Losses	-3	-2
Preferred Stock securities [Member] | Cemetery [Member]	'	'
Schedule of unrealized loss on investments [Line Items]	'	'
Available-for-sale Securities, Continuous Unrealized Loss Position, Less than Twelve Months, Fair Value	2,260	5,604
Available-for-sale Securities, Continuous Unrealized Loss Position, Less than 12 Months, Aggregate Losses	-45	-123
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	2,260	5,604
Available-for-sale Securities, Continuous Unrealized Loss Position, Aggregate Losses	-45	-123
US Common Stock Securities [Member] | Cemetery [Member]	'	'
Schedule of unrealized loss on investments [Line Items]	'	'
Available-for-sale Securities, Continuous Unrealized Loss Position, Less than Twelve Months, Fair Value	82,419	46,317
Available-for-sale Securities, Continuous Unrealized Loss Position, Less than 12 Months, Aggregate Losses	-5,575	-2,648
Available-for-sale Securities, Continuous Unrealized Loss Position, Twelve Months or Longer, Fair Value	2,909	3,489
Available-for-sale Securities, Continuous Unrealized Loss Position, 12 Months or Longer, Aggregate Losses	-195	-583
Available-for-sale Securities, Continuous Unrealized Loss Position, Fair Value	85,328	49,806
Available-for-sale Securities, Continuous Unrealized Loss Position, Aggregate Losses	-5,770	-3,231
Canada Common Stock Securities [Member] | Cemetery [Member]	'	'
Schedule of unrealized loss on investments [Line Items]	'	'
Available-for-sale Securities, Continuous Unrealized Loss Position, Less than Twelve Months, Fair Value	1,843	1,569
Available-for-sale Securities, Continuous Unrealized Loss Position, Less than 12 Months, Aggregate Losses	-123	-502
Available-for-sale Securities, Continuous Unrealized Loss Position, Twelve Months or Longer, Fair Value	2,395	1,935
Available-for-sale Securities, Continuous Unrealized Loss Position, 12 Months or Longer, Aggregate Losses	-768	-433
Available-for-sale Securities, Continuous Unrealized Loss Position, Fair Value	4,238	3,504
Available-for-sale Securities, Continuous Unrealized Loss Position, Aggregate Losses	-891	-935
Other International Common Stock Securities [Member] | Cemetery [Member]	'	'
Schedule of unrealized loss on investments [Line Items]	'	'
Available-for-sale Securities, Continuous Unrealized Loss Position, Less than Twelve Months, Fair Value	8,190	4,344
Available-for-sale Securities, Continuous Unrealized Loss Position, Less than 12 Months, Aggregate Losses	-699	-124
Available-for-sale Securities, Continuous Unrealized Loss Position, Twelve Months or Longer, Fair Value	625	702
Available-for-sale Securities, Continuous Unrealized Loss Position, 12 Months or Longer, Aggregate Losses	-80	-76
Available-for-sale Securities, Continuous Unrealized Loss Position, Fair Value	8,815	5,046
Available-for-sale Securities, Continuous Unrealized Loss Position, Aggregate Losses	-779	-200
Equity Funds [Member] | Cemetery [Member]	'	'
Schedule of unrealized loss on investments [Line Items]	'	'
Available-for-sale Securities, Continuous Unrealized Loss Position, Less than Twelve Months, Fair Value	2,199	3,858
Available-for-sale Securities, Continuous Unrealized Loss Position, Less than 12 Months, Aggregate Losses	-27	-54
Available-for-sale Securities, Continuous Unrealized Loss Position, Twelve Months or Longer, Fair Value	14,643	14,477
Available-for-sale Securities, Continuous Unrealized Loss Position, 12 Months or Longer, Aggregate Losses	-1,458	-1,650
Available-for-sale Securities, Continuous Unrealized Loss Position, Fair Value	16,842	18,335
Available-for-sale Securities, Continuous Unrealized Loss Position, Aggregate Losses	-1,485	-1,704
Fixed Income Funds [Member] | Cemetery [Member]	'	'
Schedule of unrealized loss on investments [Line Items]	'	'
Available-for-sale Securities, Continuous Unrealized Loss Position, Less than Twelve Months, Fair Value	84,375	134,669
Available-for-sale Securities, Continuous Unrealized Loss Position, Less than 12 Months, Aggregate Losses	-2,637	-5,527
Available-for-sale Securities, Continuous Unrealized Loss Position, Twelve Months or Longer, Fair Value	69,182	64,009
Available-for-sale Securities, Continuous Unrealized Loss Position, 12 Months or Longer, Aggregate Losses	-24,706	-28,122
Available-for-sale Securities, Continuous Unrealized Loss Position, Fair Value	153,557	198,678
Available-for-sale Securities, Continuous Unrealized Loss Position, Aggregate Losses	-27,343	-33,649
Private Equity Funds [Member] | Cemetery [Member]	'	'
Schedule of unrealized 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	6,707	6,589
Available-for-sale Securities, Continuous Unrealized Loss Position, 12 Months or Longer, Aggregate Losses	-4,686	-5,153
Available-for-sale Securities, Continuous Unrealized Loss Position, Fair Value	6,707	6,589
Available-for-sale Securities, Continuous Unrealized Loss Position, Aggregate Losses	-4,686	-5,153
Other Investments [Member]	'	'
Schedule of unrealized 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	279	'
Available-for-sale Securities, Continuous Unrealized Loss Position, 12 Months or Longer, Aggregate Losses	-6	'
Available-for-sale Securities, Continuous Unrealized Loss Position, Fair Value	279	'
Available-for-sale Securities, Continuous Unrealized Loss Position, Aggregate Losses	-6	'
Other Investments [Member] | Cemetery [Member]	'	'
Schedule of unrealized 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	'	282
Available-for-sale Securities, Continuous Unrealized Loss Position, 12 Months or Longer, Aggregate Losses	'	-33
Available-for-sale Securities, Continuous Unrealized Loss Position, Fair Value	'	282
Available-for-sale Securities, Continuous Unrealized Loss Position, Aggregate Losses	'	($33)

Preneed_Cemetery_Activities_Pr

Preneed Cemetery Activities Preneed Cemetery Activities, Textuals (Details) (USD $)	3 Months Ended
	Mar. 31, 2014	Mar. 31, 2013
Other than Temporary Impairment Losses, Investments, Portion Recognized in Earnings, Net	$630,000	$620,000
Cemetery [Member]	'	'
Available-for-sale securities, estimated maturity date, minimum	'2014	'
Fair Value, Measurement with unobservable inputs, risk discount, low end of the range	0.00%	'
Fair Value, Measurement with unobservable inputs, risk discount, high end of the range	20.00%	'
Fair Value, Measurement with unobservable inputs, liquidity discount, low end of the range	0.00%	'
Fair Value, Measurement with unobservable inputs, liquidity discount, high end of the range	10.00%	'
Fair Value, Investments, Entities that Calculate Net Asset Value Per Share, Unfunded Commitments	7,800,000	'
Investment Earnings, Net	11,500,000	9,200,000
Other than Temporary Impairment Losses, Investments, Portion Recognized in Earnings, Net	$339,000	$357,000
Underlying assets liquidation range, minimum	'2 years	'
Available-for-sale securities, estimated maturity date, maximum	'2043	'
Underlying assets liquidation range, maximum	'10 years	'

Cemetery_Perpetual_Care_Trusts2

Cemetery Perpetual Care Trusts Investment Related Activities (Details) (USD $)	3 Months Ended
In Thousands, unless otherwise specified	Mar. 31, 2014	Mar. 31, 2013
Investment related activities [Line Items]	'	'
Realized gains from sales of available-for-sale securities	$46,678	$31,729
Realized losses from sales of available-for-sale securities	-4,110	-4,213
Cemetery Perpetual Care [Member]	'	'
Investment related activities [Line Items]	'	'
Deposits	11,837	8,228
Withdrawals	5,885	9,569
Purchases of available-for-sale securities	38,895	35,052
Sales of available-for-sale securities	30,072	27,490
Realized gains from sales of available-for-sale securities	5,045	3,782
Realized losses from sales of available-for-sale securities	($337)	($322)

Cemetery_Perpetual_Care_Trusts3

Cemetery Perpetual Care Trusts Long-term Receivable and Investment (Details) (USD $)	3 Months Ended	12 Months Ended
In Thousands, unless otherwise specified	Mar. 31, 2014	Dec. 31, 2013
Long-term receivable and investment components [Line Items]	'	'
Cemetery perpetual care trust investments	$1,342,589	$1,347,622
Cemetery Perpetual Care [Member]	'	'
Long-term receivable and investment components [Line Items]	'	'
Available-for-sale Securities, Continuous Unrealized Loss Position, Less than Twelve Months, Fair Value	117,839	268,219
Available-for-sale Securities, Continuous Unrealized Loss Position, Less than 12 Months, Aggregate Losses	-2,873	-4,478
Available-for-sale Securities, Continuous Unrealized Loss Position, Twelve Months or Longer, Fair Value	50,432	71,742
Available-for-sale Securities, Continuous Unrealized Loss Position, 12 Months or Longer, Aggregate Losses	-10,698	-11,136
Available-for-sale Securities, Continuous Unrealized Loss Position, Fair Value	168,271	339,961
Available-for-sale Securities, Continuous Unrealized Loss Position, Aggregate Losses	-13,571	-15,614
Trust investments, at market	1,373,613	1,352,539
Restricted Cash and Cash Equivalents	81,773	78,509
Assets of Disposal Group, Including Discontinued Operation, Current	-112,797	-83,426
Cemetery perpetual care trust investments	1,342,589	1,347,622
Asset-backed Securities [Member] | Cemetery Perpetual Care [Member]	'	'
Long-term receivable and investment components [Line Items]	'	'
Available-for-sale Securities, Continuous Unrealized Loss Position, Less than Twelve Months, Fair Value	'	2,835
Available-for-sale Securities, Continuous Unrealized Loss Position, Less than 12 Months, Aggregate Losses	'	-10
Available-for-sale Securities, Continuous Unrealized Loss Position, Twelve Months or Longer, Fair Value	'	15
Available-for-sale Securities, Continuous Unrealized Loss Position, 12 Months or Longer, Aggregate Losses	'	-1
Available-for-sale Securities, Continuous Unrealized Loss Position, Fair Value	'	2,850
Available-for-sale Securities, Continuous Unrealized Loss Position, Aggregate Losses	'	-11
US Treasury Securities [Member] | Cemetery Perpetual Care [Member]	'	'
Long-term receivable and investment components [Line Items]	'	'
Available-for-sale Securities, Continuous Unrealized Loss Position, Less than Twelve Months, Fair Value	1,247	1,339
Available-for-sale Securities, Continuous Unrealized Loss Position, Less than 12 Months, Aggregate Losses	-11	-14
Available-for-sale Securities, Continuous Unrealized Loss Position, Twelve Months or Longer, Fair Value	2	20
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	1,249	1,359
Available-for-sale Securities, Continuous Unrealized Loss Position, Aggregate Losses	-11	-14
Private Equity Funds [Member] | Cemetery Perpetual Care [Member]	'	'
Long-term receivable and investment components [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	20,256	19,242
Available-for-sale Securities, Continuous Unrealized Loss Position, 12 Months or Longer, Aggregate Losses	-8,753	-9,002
Available-for-sale Securities, Continuous Unrealized Loss Position, Fair Value	20,256	19,242
Available-for-sale Securities, Continuous Unrealized Loss Position, Aggregate Losses	-8,753	-9,002
Other Investments [Member]	'	'
Long-term receivable and investment components [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	279	'
Available-for-sale Securities, Continuous Unrealized Loss Position, 12 Months or Longer, Aggregate Losses	-6	'
Available-for-sale Securities, Continuous Unrealized Loss Position, Fair Value	279	'
Available-for-sale Securities, Continuous Unrealized Loss Position, Aggregate Losses	-6	'
Other Investments [Member] | Cemetery Perpetual Care [Member]	'	'
Long-term receivable and investment components [Line Items]	'	'
Available-for-sale Securities, Continuous Unrealized Loss Position, Less than Twelve Months, Fair Value	14	0
Available-for-sale Securities, Continuous Unrealized Loss Position, Less than 12 Months, Aggregate Losses	-10	0
Available-for-sale Securities, Continuous Unrealized Loss Position, Twelve Months or Longer, Fair Value	9,891	9,738
Available-for-sale Securities, Continuous Unrealized Loss Position, 12 Months or Longer, Aggregate Losses	0	-84
Available-for-sale Securities, Continuous Unrealized Loss Position, Fair Value	9,905	9,738
Available-for-sale Securities, Continuous Unrealized Loss Position, Aggregate Losses	($10)	($84)

Cemetery_Perpetual_Care_Trusts4

Cemetery Perpetual Care Trusts Schedule of Available-for-sale Securities (Details) (Cemetery Perpetual Care [Member], USD $)	3 Months Ended	12 Months Ended
In Thousands, unless otherwise specified	Mar. 31, 2014	Dec. 31, 2013
Schedule of Available-for-sale Securities [Line Items]	'	'
Available-for-sale Securities, Amortized Cost Basis	$1,271,129	$1,266,716
Available-for-sale Securities, Gross Unrealized Gains	116,055	101,437
Available-for-sale Securities, Gross Unrealized Losses	-13,571	-15,614
Available-for-sale Securities, Fair Value	1,373,613	1,352,539
Fair Value, Inputs, Level 2 [Member] | US Treasury Securities [Member]	'	'
Schedule of Available-for-sale Securities [Line Items]	'	'
Available-for-sale Securities, Amortized Cost Basis	1,675	1,588
Available-for-sale Securities, Gross Unrealized Gains	18	9
Available-for-sale Securities, Gross Unrealized Losses	-11	-14
Available-for-sale Securities, Fair Value	1,682	1,583
Fair Value, Inputs, Level 2 [Member] | Foreign Government Debt Securities [Member]	'	'
Schedule of Available-for-sale Securities [Line Items]	'	'
Available-for-sale Securities, Amortized Cost Basis	29,208	28,487
Available-for-sale Securities, Gross Unrealized Gains	346	301
Available-for-sale Securities, Gross Unrealized Losses	-204	-459
Available-for-sale Securities, Fair Value	29,350	28,329
Fair Value, Inputs, Level 2 [Member] | Corporate Debt Securities [Member]	'	'
Schedule of Available-for-sale Securities [Line Items]	'	'
Available-for-sale Securities, Amortized Cost Basis	41,561	43,196
Available-for-sale Securities, Gross Unrealized Gains	733	312
Available-for-sale Securities, Gross Unrealized Losses	-309	-263
Available-for-sale Securities, Fair Value	41,985	43,245
Fair Value, Inputs, Level 2 [Member] | Residential Mortgage Backed Securities [Member]	'	'
Schedule of Available-for-sale Securities [Line Items]	'	'
Available-for-sale Securities, Amortized Cost Basis	4,280	4,258
Available-for-sale Securities, Gross Unrealized Gains	34	14
Available-for-sale Securities, Gross Unrealized Losses	-15	-19
Available-for-sale Securities, Fair Value	4,299	4,253
Fair Value, Inputs, Level 2 [Member] | Asset-backed Securities [Member]	'	'
Schedule of Available-for-sale Securities [Line Items]	'	'
Available-for-sale Securities, Amortized Cost Basis	3,001	3,006
Available-for-sale Securities, Gross Unrealized Gains	67	5
Available-for-sale Securities, Gross Unrealized Losses	-4	-11
Available-for-sale Securities, Fair Value	3,064	3,000
Fair Value, Inputs, Level 2 [Member] | Preferred Stock securities [Member]	'	'
Schedule of Available-for-sale Securities [Line Items]	'	'
Available-for-sale Securities, Amortized Cost Basis	26,495	25,952
Available-for-sale Securities, Gross Unrealized Gains	1,431	192
Available-for-sale Securities, Gross Unrealized Losses	-62	-252
Available-for-sale Securities, Fair Value	27,864	25,892
Fair Value, Inputs, Level 1 [Member] | US Common Stock Securities [Member]	'	'
Schedule of Available-for-sale Securities [Line Items]	'	'
Available-for-sale Securities, Amortized Cost Basis	232,619	231,156
Available-for-sale Securities, Gross Unrealized Gains	54,271	53,782
Available-for-sale Securities, Gross Unrealized Losses	-2,301	-2,087
Available-for-sale Securities, Fair Value	284,589	282,851
Fair Value, Inputs, Level 1 [Member] | Canada Common Stock Securities [Member]	'	'
Schedule of Available-for-sale Securities [Line Items]	'	'
Available-for-sale Securities, Amortized Cost Basis	8,446	8,846
Available-for-sale Securities, Gross Unrealized Gains	2,389	2,222
Available-for-sale Securities, Gross Unrealized Losses	-579	-623
Available-for-sale Securities, Fair Value	10,256	10,445
Fair Value, Inputs, Level 1 [Member] | Other International Common Stock Securities [Member]	'	'
Schedule of Available-for-sale Securities [Line Items]	'	'
Available-for-sale Securities, Amortized Cost Basis	21,341	20,676
Available-for-sale Securities, Gross Unrealized Gains	1,863	1,319
Available-for-sale Securities, Gross Unrealized Losses	-166	-167
Available-for-sale Securities, Fair Value	23,038	21,828
Fair Value, Inputs, Level 1 [Member] | Equity Funds [Member]	'	'
Schedule of Available-for-sale Securities [Line Items]	'	'
Available-for-sale Securities, Amortized Cost Basis	40,452	41,282
Available-for-sale Securities, Gross Unrealized Gains	7,385	5,693
Available-for-sale Securities, Gross Unrealized Losses	-27	-35
Available-for-sale Securities, Fair Value	47,810	46,940
Fair Value, Inputs, Level 1 [Member] | Fixed Income Funds [Member]	'	'
Schedule of Available-for-sale Securities [Line Items]	'	'
Available-for-sale Securities, Amortized Cost Basis	822,406	819,439
Available-for-sale Securities, Gross Unrealized Gains	45,882	35,963
Available-for-sale Securities, Gross Unrealized Losses	-1,130	-2,598
Available-for-sale Securities, Fair Value	867,158	852,804
Fair Value, Inputs, Level 3 [Member] | Private Equity Funds [Member]	'	'
Schedule of Available-for-sale Securities [Line Items]	'	'
Available-for-sale Securities, Amortized Cost Basis	29,074	28,309
Available-for-sale Securities, Gross Unrealized Gains	485	472
Available-for-sale Securities, Gross Unrealized Losses	-8,753	-9,002
Available-for-sale Securities, Fair Value	20,806	19,779
Fair Value, Inputs, Level 3 [Member] | Other Investments [Member]	'	'
Schedule of Available-for-sale Securities [Line Items]	'	'
Available-for-sale Securities, Amortized Cost Basis	10,571	10,521
Available-for-sale Securities, Gross Unrealized Gains	1,151	1,153
Available-for-sale Securities, Gross Unrealized Losses	-10	-84
Available-for-sale Securities, Fair Value	$11,712	$11,590

Cemetery_Perpetual_Care_Trusts5

Cemetery Perpetual Care Trusts Level 3 Activities (Details) (Cemetery Perpetual Care [Member], USD $)	3 Months Ended
In Thousands, unless otherwise specified	Mar. 31, 2014		Mar. 31, 2013
Private Equity Funds [Member]	'		'
Fair Value, Assets Measured on Recurring Basis, Unobservable Input Reconciliation, Calculation [Roll Forward]	'		'
Fair market value, beginning balance	$19,779		$11,122
Net unrealized (losses) gains included in Accumulated other comprehensive income	727	[1]	6,069	[1]
Net realized gains (losses) included in Other income, net(2)	-12	[2]	-82	[2]
Sales	-17		0
Contributions	694		1
Distributions and other	-365		-656
Fair market value, ending balance	20,806		16,454
Other Investments [Member]	'		'
Fair Value, Assets Measured on Recurring Basis, Unobservable Input Reconciliation, Calculation [Roll Forward]	'		'
Fair market value, beginning balance	11,590		7,659
Net unrealized (losses) gains included in Accumulated other comprehensive income	128	[1]	2,729	[1]
Net realized gains (losses) included in Other income, net(2)	-6	[2]	-46	[2]
Sales	0		0
Contributions	0		0
Distributions and other	0		0
Fair market value, ending balance	$11,712		'
[1]	All unrealized gains (losses) recognized in Accumulated other comprehensive income for our funeral merchandise and service trust investments are attributable to our preneed customers and are offset by a corresponding reclassification in Accumulated other comprehensive income to Deferred preneed funeral and cemetery receipts held in trust. See Note 7 for further information related to our Deferred preneed funeral and cemetery receipts held in trust.
[2]	All losses recognized in Other income (expense), net for our funeral merchandise and service trust investments are attributable to our preneed customers and are offset by a corresponding reclassification in Other income (expense), net to Deferred preneed funeral and cemetery receipts held in trust. See Note 7 for further information related to our Deferred preneed funeral and cemetery receipts held in trust.

Cemetery_Perpetual_Care_Trusts6

Cemetery Perpetual Care Trusts Investments Classifed by Contractual Maturity Date (Details) (Cemetery Perpetual Care [Member], USD $)	Mar. 31, 2014
In Thousands, unless otherwise specified
Cemetery Perpetual Care [Member]	'
Investments Classified By Contractual Maturity Date [Line Items]	'
Available-for-sale Securities, Debt Maturities, within One Year, Fair Value	$15,236
Available-for-sale Securities, Debt Maturities, after One Through Five Years, Fair Value	35,515
Available-for-sale Securities, Debt Maturities, after Five Through Ten Years, Fair Value	24,753
Available-for-sale Securities, Debt Maturities, after Ten Years, Fair Value	4,876
Available-for-sale Securities, Debt Maturities, Total, Fair Value	$80,380

Cemetery_Perpetual_Care_Trusts7

Cemetery Perpetual Care Trusts Schedule of Unrealized Loss on Investments (Details) (USD $)	3 Months Ended	12 Months Ended
In Thousands, unless otherwise specified	Mar. 31, 2014	Dec. 31, 2013
Cemetery Perpetual Care [Member]	'	'
Schedule of unrealized loss on investments [Line Items]	'	'
Available-for-sale Securities, Continuous Unrealized Loss Position, Less than Twelve Months, Fair Value	$117,839	$268,219
Available-for-sale Securities, Continuous Unrealized Loss Position, Less than 12 Months, Aggregate Losses	-2,873	-4,478
Available-for-sale Securities, Continuous Unrealized Loss Position, Twelve Months or Longer, Fair Value	50,432	71,742
Available-for-sale Securities, Continuous Unrealized Loss Position, 12 Months or Longer, Aggregate Losses	-10,698	-11,136
Available-for-sale Securities, Continuous Unrealized Loss Position, Fair Value	168,271	339,961
Available-for-sale Securities, Continuous Unrealized Loss Position, Aggregate Losses	-13,571	-15,614
Cemetery [Member]	'	'
Schedule of unrealized loss on investments [Line Items]	'	'
Available-for-sale Securities, Continuous Unrealized Loss Position, Less than Twelve Months, Fair Value	241,716	269,357
Available-for-sale Securities, Continuous Unrealized Loss Position, Less than 12 Months, Aggregate Losses	-13,748	15,577
Available-for-sale Securities, Continuous Unrealized Loss Position, Twelve Months or Longer, Fair Value	120,134	122,667
Available-for-sale Securities, Continuous Unrealized Loss Position, 12 Months or Longer, Aggregate Losses	-34,331	39,249
Available-for-sale Securities, Continuous Unrealized Loss Position, Fair Value	361,850	392,024
Available-for-sale Securities, Continuous Unrealized Loss Position, Aggregate Losses	-48,079	-54,826
US Treasury Securities [Member] | Cemetery Perpetual Care [Member]	'	'
Schedule of unrealized loss on investments [Line Items]	'	'
Available-for-sale Securities, Continuous Unrealized Loss Position, Less than Twelve Months, Fair Value	1,247	1,339
Available-for-sale Securities, Continuous Unrealized Loss Position, Less than 12 Months, Aggregate Losses	-11	-14
Available-for-sale Securities, Continuous Unrealized Loss Position, Twelve Months or Longer, Fair Value	2	20
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	1,249	1,359
Available-for-sale Securities, Continuous Unrealized Loss Position, Aggregate Losses	-11	-14
US Treasury Securities [Member] | Cemetery [Member]	'	'
Schedule of unrealized loss on investments [Line Items]	'	'
Available-for-sale Securities, Continuous Unrealized Loss Position, Less than Twelve Months, Fair Value	38,848	45,120
Available-for-sale Securities, Continuous Unrealized Loss Position, Less than 12 Months, Aggregate Losses	-4,286	-6,040
Available-for-sale Securities, Continuous Unrealized Loss Position, Twelve Months or Longer, Fair Value	19,559	25,043
Available-for-sale Securities, Continuous Unrealized Loss Position, 12 Months or Longer, Aggregate Losses	-2,269	-2,836
Available-for-sale Securities, Continuous Unrealized Loss Position, Fair Value	58,407	70,163
Available-for-sale Securities, Continuous Unrealized Loss Position, Aggregate Losses	-6,555	-8,876
Foreign Government Debt Securities [Member] | Cemetery Perpetual Care [Member]	'	'
Schedule of unrealized loss on investments [Line Items]	'	'
Available-for-sale Securities, Continuous Unrealized Loss Position, Less than Twelve Months, Fair Value	18,422	15,777
Available-for-sale Securities, Continuous Unrealized Loss Position, Less than 12 Months, Aggregate Losses	-146	-214
Available-for-sale Securities, Continuous Unrealized Loss Position, Twelve Months or Longer, Fair Value	1,818	5,131
Available-for-sale Securities, Continuous Unrealized Loss Position, 12 Months or Longer, Aggregate Losses	-58	-245
Available-for-sale Securities, Continuous Unrealized Loss Position, Fair Value	20,240	20,908
Available-for-sale Securities, Continuous Unrealized Loss Position, Aggregate Losses	-204	-459
Foreign Government Debt Securities [Member] | Cemetery [Member]	'	'
Schedule of unrealized loss on investments [Line Items]	'	'
Available-for-sale Securities, Continuous Unrealized Loss Position, Less than Twelve Months, Fair Value	11,259	9,424
Available-for-sale Securities, Continuous Unrealized Loss Position, Less than 12 Months, Aggregate Losses	-82	-120
Available-for-sale Securities, Continuous Unrealized Loss Position, Twelve Months or Longer, Fair Value	1,113	3,066
Available-for-sale Securities, Continuous Unrealized Loss Position, 12 Months or Longer, Aggregate Losses	-33	-141
Available-for-sale Securities, Continuous Unrealized Loss Position, Fair Value	12,372	12,490
Available-for-sale Securities, Continuous Unrealized Loss Position, Aggregate Losses	-115	-261
Corporate Debt Securities [Member] | Cemetery Perpetual Care [Member]	'	'
Schedule of unrealized loss on investments [Line Items]	'	'
Available-for-sale Securities, Continuous Unrealized Loss Position, Less than Twelve Months, Fair Value	15,687	22,534
Available-for-sale Securities, Continuous Unrealized Loss Position, Less than 12 Months, Aggregate Losses	-148	-129
Available-for-sale Securities, Continuous Unrealized Loss Position, Twelve Months or Longer, Fair Value	3,204	3,299
Available-for-sale Securities, Continuous Unrealized Loss Position, 12 Months or Longer, Aggregate Losses	-161	-134
Available-for-sale Securities, Continuous Unrealized Loss Position, Fair Value	18,891	25,833
Available-for-sale Securities, Continuous Unrealized Loss Position, Aggregate Losses	-309	-263
Corporate Debt Securities [Member] | Cemetery [Member]	'	'
Schedule of unrealized loss on investments [Line Items]	'	'
Available-for-sale Securities, Continuous Unrealized Loss Position, Less than Twelve Months, Fair Value	10,154	15,050
Available-for-sale Securities, Continuous Unrealized Loss Position, Less than 12 Months, Aggregate Losses	-271	-424
Available-for-sale Securities, Continuous Unrealized Loss Position, Twelve Months or Longer, Fair Value	2,718	3,073
Available-for-sale Securities, Continuous Unrealized Loss Position, 12 Months or Longer, Aggregate Losses	-130	-222
Available-for-sale Securities, Continuous Unrealized Loss Position, Fair Value	12,872	18,123
Available-for-sale Securities, Continuous Unrealized Loss Position, Aggregate Losses	-401	-646
Residential Mortgage Backed Securities [Member] | Cemetery Perpetual Care [Member]	'	'
Schedule of unrealized loss on investments [Line Items]	'	'
Available-for-sale Securities, Continuous Unrealized Loss Position, Less than Twelve Months, Fair Value	685	2,960
Available-for-sale Securities, Continuous Unrealized Loss Position, Less than 12 Months, Aggregate Losses	-14	-18
Available-for-sale Securities, Continuous Unrealized Loss Position, Twelve Months or Longer, Fair Value	11	10
Available-for-sale Securities, Continuous Unrealized Loss Position, 12 Months or Longer, Aggregate Losses	-1	-1
Available-for-sale Securities, Continuous Unrealized Loss Position, Fair Value	696	2,970
Available-for-sale Securities, Continuous Unrealized Loss Position, Aggregate Losses	-15	-19
Residential Mortgage Backed Securities [Member] | Cemetery [Member]	'	'
Schedule of unrealized loss on investments [Line Items]	'	'
Available-for-sale Securities, Continuous Unrealized Loss Position, Less than Twelve Months, Fair Value	169	145
Available-for-sale Securities, Continuous Unrealized Loss Position, Less than 12 Months, Aggregate Losses	-3	-2
Available-for-sale Securities, Continuous Unrealized Loss Position, Twelve Months or Longer, Fair Value	4	2
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	173	147
Available-for-sale Securities, Continuous Unrealized Loss Position, Aggregate Losses	-3	-2
Asset-backed Securities [Member] | Cemetery Perpetual Care [Member]	'	'
Schedule of unrealized loss on investments [Line Items]	'	'
Available-for-sale Securities, Continuous Unrealized Loss Position, Less than Twelve Months, Fair Value	'	2,835
Available-for-sale Securities, Continuous Unrealized Loss Position, Less than 12 Months, Aggregate Losses	'	-10
Available-for-sale Securities, Continuous Unrealized Loss Position, Twelve Months or Longer, Fair Value	'	15
Available-for-sale Securities, Continuous Unrealized Loss Position, 12 Months or Longer, Aggregate Losses	'	-1
Available-for-sale Securities, Continuous Unrealized Loss Position, Fair Value	'	2,850
Available-for-sale Securities, Continuous Unrealized Loss Position, Aggregate Losses	'	-11
Asset-backed Securities [Member] | Cemetery [Member]	'	'
Schedule of unrealized loss on investments [Line Items]	'	'
Available-for-sale Securities, Continuous Unrealized Loss Position, Less than Twelve Months, Fair Value	391	3,257
Available-for-sale Securities, Continuous Unrealized Loss Position, Less than 12 Months, Aggregate Losses	-4	-13
Available-for-sale Securities, Continuous Unrealized Loss Position, Twelve Months or Longer, Fair Value	15	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	406	3,257
Available-for-sale Securities, Continuous Unrealized Loss Position, Aggregate Losses	-4	-13
Preferred Stock securities [Member] | Cemetery Perpetual Care [Member]	'	'
Schedule of unrealized loss on investments [Line Items]	'	'
Available-for-sale Securities, Continuous Unrealized Loss Position, Less than Twelve Months, Fair Value	3,362	14,650
Available-for-sale Securities, Continuous Unrealized Loss Position, Less than 12 Months, Aggregate Losses	-57	-245
Available-for-sale Securities, Continuous Unrealized Loss Position, Twelve Months or Longer, Fair Value	46	44
Available-for-sale Securities, Continuous Unrealized Loss Position, 12 Months or Longer, Aggregate Losses	-5	-7
Available-for-sale Securities, Continuous Unrealized Loss Position, Fair Value	3,408	14,694
Available-for-sale Securities, Continuous Unrealized Loss Position, Aggregate Losses	-62	-252
Preferred Stock securities [Member] | Cemetery [Member]	'	'
Schedule of unrealized loss on investments [Line Items]	'	'
Available-for-sale Securities, Continuous Unrealized Loss Position, Less than Twelve Months, Fair Value	2,260	5,604
Available-for-sale Securities, Continuous Unrealized Loss Position, Less than 12 Months, Aggregate Losses	-45	-123
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	2,260	5,604
Available-for-sale Securities, Continuous Unrealized Loss Position, Aggregate Losses	-45	-123
US Common Stock Securities [Member] | Cemetery Perpetual Care [Member]	'	'
Schedule of unrealized loss on investments [Line Items]	'	'
Available-for-sale Securities, Continuous Unrealized Loss Position, Less than Twelve Months, Fair Value	25,383	23,825
Available-for-sale Securities, Continuous Unrealized Loss Position, Less than 12 Months, Aggregate Losses	-1,519	-1,561
Available-for-sale Securities, Continuous Unrealized Loss Position, Twelve Months or Longer, Fair Value	2,755	3,254
Available-for-sale Securities, Continuous Unrealized Loss Position, 12 Months or Longer, Aggregate Losses	-782	-526
Available-for-sale Securities, Continuous Unrealized Loss Position, Fair Value	28,138	27,079
Available-for-sale Securities, Continuous Unrealized Loss Position, Aggregate Losses	-2,301	-2,087
US Common Stock Securities [Member] | Cemetery [Member]	'	'
Schedule of unrealized loss on investments [Line Items]	'	'
Available-for-sale Securities, Continuous Unrealized Loss Position, Less than Twelve Months, Fair Value	82,419	46,317
Available-for-sale Securities, Continuous Unrealized Loss Position, Less than 12 Months, Aggregate Losses	-5,575	-2,648
Available-for-sale Securities, Continuous Unrealized Loss Position, Twelve Months or Longer, Fair Value	2,909	3,489
Available-for-sale Securities, Continuous Unrealized Loss Position, 12 Months or Longer, Aggregate Losses	-195	-583
Available-for-sale Securities, Continuous Unrealized Loss Position, Fair Value	85,328	49,806
Available-for-sale Securities, Continuous Unrealized Loss Position, Aggregate Losses	-5,770	-3,231
Canada Common Stock Securities [Member] | Cemetery Perpetual Care [Member]	'	'
Schedule of unrealized loss on investments [Line Items]	'	'
Available-for-sale Securities, Continuous Unrealized Loss Position, Less than Twelve Months, Fair Value	1,233	667
Available-for-sale Securities, Continuous Unrealized Loss Position, Less than 12 Months, Aggregate Losses	-35	-129
Available-for-sale Securities, Continuous Unrealized Loss Position, Twelve Months or Longer, Fair Value	1,664	1,794
Available-for-sale Securities, Continuous Unrealized Loss Position, 12 Months or Longer, Aggregate Losses	-544	-494
Available-for-sale Securities, Continuous Unrealized Loss Position, Fair Value	2,897	2,461
Available-for-sale Securities, Continuous Unrealized Loss Position, Aggregate Losses	-579	-623
Canada Common Stock Securities [Member] | Cemetery [Member]	'	'
Schedule of unrealized loss on investments [Line Items]	'	'
Available-for-sale Securities, Continuous Unrealized Loss Position, Less than Twelve Months, Fair Value	1,843	1,569
Available-for-sale Securities, Continuous Unrealized Loss Position, Less than 12 Months, Aggregate Losses	-123	-502
Available-for-sale Securities, Continuous Unrealized Loss Position, Twelve Months or Longer, Fair Value	2,395	1,935
Available-for-sale Securities, Continuous Unrealized Loss Position, 12 Months or Longer, Aggregate Losses	-768	-433
Available-for-sale Securities, Continuous Unrealized Loss Position, Fair Value	4,238	3,504
Available-for-sale Securities, Continuous Unrealized Loss Position, Aggregate Losses	-891	-935
Other International Common Stock Securities [Member] | Cemetery Perpetual Care [Member]	'	'
Schedule of unrealized loss on investments [Line Items]	'	'
Available-for-sale Securities, Continuous Unrealized Loss Position, Less than Twelve Months, Fair Value	1,847	1,540
Available-for-sale Securities, Continuous Unrealized Loss Position, Less than 12 Months, Aggregate Losses	-21	-54
Available-for-sale Securities, Continuous Unrealized Loss Position, Twelve Months or Longer, Fair Value	1,020	525
Available-for-sale Securities, Continuous Unrealized Loss Position, 12 Months or Longer, Aggregate Losses	-145	-113
Available-for-sale Securities, Continuous Unrealized Loss Position, Fair Value	2,867	2,065
Available-for-sale Securities, Continuous Unrealized Loss Position, Aggregate Losses	-166	-167
Other International Common Stock Securities [Member] | Cemetery [Member]	'	'
Schedule of unrealized loss on investments [Line Items]	'	'
Available-for-sale Securities, Continuous Unrealized Loss Position, Less than Twelve Months, Fair Value	8,190	4,344
Available-for-sale Securities, Continuous Unrealized Loss Position, Less than 12 Months, Aggregate Losses	-699	-124
Available-for-sale Securities, Continuous Unrealized Loss Position, Twelve Months or Longer, Fair Value	625	702
Available-for-sale Securities, Continuous Unrealized Loss Position, 12 Months or Longer, Aggregate Losses	-80	-76
Available-for-sale Securities, Continuous Unrealized Loss Position, Fair Value	8,815	5,046
Available-for-sale Securities, Continuous Unrealized Loss Position, Aggregate Losses	-779	-200
Equity Funds [Member] | Cemetery Perpetual Care [Member]	'	'
Schedule of unrealized loss on investments [Line Items]	'	'
Available-for-sale Securities, Continuous Unrealized Loss Position, Less than Twelve Months, Fair Value	397	391
Available-for-sale Securities, Continuous Unrealized Loss Position, Less than 12 Months, Aggregate Losses	-15	-14
Available-for-sale Securities, Continuous Unrealized Loss Position, Twelve Months or Longer, Fair Value	118	163
Available-for-sale Securities, Continuous Unrealized Loss Position, 12 Months or Longer, Aggregate Losses	-12	-21
Available-for-sale Securities, Continuous Unrealized Loss Position, Fair Value	515	554
Available-for-sale Securities, Continuous Unrealized Loss Position, Aggregate Losses	-27	-35
Equity Funds [Member] | Cemetery [Member]	'	'
Schedule of unrealized loss on investments [Line Items]	'	'
Available-for-sale Securities, Continuous Unrealized Loss Position, Less than Twelve Months, Fair Value	2,199	3,858
Available-for-sale Securities, Continuous Unrealized Loss Position, Less than 12 Months, Aggregate Losses	-27	-54
Available-for-sale Securities, Continuous Unrealized Loss Position, Twelve Months or Longer, Fair Value	14,643	14,477
Available-for-sale Securities, Continuous Unrealized Loss Position, 12 Months or Longer, Aggregate Losses	-1,458	-1,650
Available-for-sale Securities, Continuous Unrealized Loss Position, Fair Value	16,842	18,335
Available-for-sale Securities, Continuous Unrealized Loss Position, Aggregate Losses	-1,485	-1,704
Fixed Income Funds [Member] | Cemetery Perpetual Care [Member]	'	'
Schedule of unrealized loss on investments [Line Items]	'	'
Available-for-sale Securities, Continuous Unrealized Loss Position, Less than Twelve Months, Fair Value	49,171	181,701
Available-for-sale Securities, Continuous Unrealized Loss Position, Less than 12 Months, Aggregate Losses	-893	-2,090
Available-for-sale Securities, Continuous Unrealized Loss Position, Twelve Months or Longer, Fair Value	9,632	28,507
Available-for-sale Securities, Continuous Unrealized Loss Position, 12 Months or Longer, Aggregate Losses	-237	-508
Available-for-sale Securities, Continuous Unrealized Loss Position, Fair Value	58,803	210,208
Available-for-sale Securities, Continuous Unrealized Loss Position, Aggregate Losses	-1,130	-2,598
Fixed Income Funds [Member] | Cemetery [Member]	'	'
Schedule of unrealized loss on investments [Line Items]	'	'
Available-for-sale Securities, Continuous Unrealized Loss Position, Less than Twelve Months, Fair Value	84,375	134,669
Available-for-sale Securities, Continuous Unrealized Loss Position, Less than 12 Months, Aggregate Losses	-2,637	-5,527
Available-for-sale Securities, Continuous Unrealized Loss Position, Twelve Months or Longer, Fair Value	69,182	64,009
Available-for-sale Securities, Continuous Unrealized Loss Position, 12 Months or Longer, Aggregate Losses	-24,706	-28,122
Available-for-sale Securities, Continuous Unrealized Loss Position, Fair Value	153,557	198,678
Available-for-sale Securities, Continuous Unrealized Loss Position, Aggregate Losses	-27,343	-33,649
Private Equity Funds [Member] | Cemetery Perpetual Care [Member]	'	'
Schedule of unrealized 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	20,256	19,242
Available-for-sale Securities, Continuous Unrealized Loss Position, 12 Months or Longer, Aggregate Losses	-8,753	-9,002
Available-for-sale Securities, Continuous Unrealized Loss Position, Fair Value	20,256	19,242
Available-for-sale Securities, Continuous Unrealized Loss Position, Aggregate Losses	-8,753	-9,002
Private Equity Funds [Member] | Cemetery [Member]	'	'
Schedule of unrealized 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	6,707	6,589
Available-for-sale Securities, Continuous Unrealized Loss Position, 12 Months or Longer, Aggregate Losses	-4,686	-5,153
Available-for-sale Securities, Continuous Unrealized Loss Position, Fair Value	6,707	6,589
Available-for-sale Securities, Continuous Unrealized Loss Position, Aggregate Losses	-4,686	-5,153
Other Investments [Member]	'	'
Schedule of unrealized 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	279	'
Available-for-sale Securities, Continuous Unrealized Loss Position, 12 Months or Longer, Aggregate Losses	-6	'
Available-for-sale Securities, Continuous Unrealized Loss Position, Fair Value	279	'
Available-for-sale Securities, Continuous Unrealized Loss Position, Aggregate Losses	-6	'
Other Investments [Member] | Cemetery Perpetual Care [Member]	'	'
Schedule of unrealized loss on investments [Line Items]	'	'
Available-for-sale Securities, Continuous Unrealized Loss Position, Less than Twelve Months, Fair Value	14	0
Available-for-sale Securities, Continuous Unrealized Loss Position, Less than 12 Months, Aggregate Losses	-10	0
Available-for-sale Securities, Continuous Unrealized Loss Position, Twelve Months or Longer, Fair Value	9,891	9,738
Available-for-sale Securities, Continuous Unrealized Loss Position, 12 Months or Longer, Aggregate Losses	0	-84
Available-for-sale Securities, Continuous Unrealized Loss Position, Fair Value	9,905	9,738
Available-for-sale Securities, Continuous Unrealized Loss Position, Aggregate Losses	-10	-84
Other Investments [Member] | Cemetery [Member]	'	'
Schedule of unrealized 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	'	282
Available-for-sale Securities, Continuous Unrealized Loss Position, 12 Months or Longer, Aggregate Losses	'	-33
Available-for-sale Securities, Continuous Unrealized Loss Position, Fair Value	'	282
Available-for-sale Securities, Continuous Unrealized Loss Position, Aggregate Losses	'	($33)

Cemetery_Perpetual_Care_Trusts8

Cemetery Perpetual Care Trusts Cemetery Perpetual Care Trusts, Textuals (Details) (USD $)	3 Months Ended
	Mar. 31, 2014	Mar. 31, 2013
Other than Temporary Impairment Losses, Investments, Portion Recognized in Earnings, Net	$630,000	$620,000
Cemetery Perpetual Care [Member]	'	'
Underlying assets liquidation range, maximum	'10 years	'
Available-for-sale securities, estimated maturity date, minimum	'2014	'
Fair Value, Measurement with unobservable inputs, risk discount, low end of the range	0.00%	'
Fair Value, Measurement with unobservable inputs, risk discount, high end of the range	20.00%	'
Fair Value, Measurement with unobservable inputs, liquidity discount, low end of the range	0.00%	'
Fair Value, Measurement with unobservable inputs, liquidity discount, high end of the range	10.00%	'
Fair Value, Investments, Entities that Calculate Net Asset Value Per Share, Unfunded Commitments	700,000	'
Underlying assets liquidation range, minimum	'2 years	'
Investment Earnings, Net	13,300,000	10,000,000
Other than Temporary Impairment Losses, Investments, Portion Recognized in Earnings, Net	$40,000	$63,000
Available-for-sale securities, estimated maturity date, maximum	'2043	'

Deferred_Preneed_Funeral_and_C2

Deferred Preneed Funeral and Cemetery Receipts Held in Trust and Care Trusts' Corpus (Details) (USD $)	3 Months Ended
In Thousands, unless otherwise specified	Mar. 31, 2014	Mar. 31, 2013	Dec. 31, 2013
Components of Other Income, Nonoperating [Line Items]	'	'	'
Deferred preneed funeral and cemetery receipts held in trust, excluding accrued expenses	$3,250,306	'	$3,253,392
Accrued trust operating payables and other	-4,677	'	-2,806
Deferred preneed funeral and cemetery receipts held in trust	3,245,629	'	3,250,586
Cemetery perpetual care trust investments	1,342,589	'	1,347,622
Care trusts’ corpus	1,340,361	'	1,345,874
Realized gains from sales of available-for-sale securities	46,678	31,729	'
Realized losses from sales of available-for-sale securities	-4,110	-4,213	'
Impairment charges	-630	-620	'
Interest, dividend, and other ordinary income	17,655	9,435	'
Trust expenses and income taxes	-10,829	-6,625	'
Net trust investment income	48,764	29,706	'
Investment Income, Nonoperating, Effect on Deferred Preneed Receipts Held in Trust and Care Trust Corpus'	-48,764	-29,706	'
Other income, net	1,534	-984	'
Other income (expense), net	1,534	-984	'
Funeral [Member]	'	'	'
Components of Other Income, Nonoperating [Line Items]	'	'	'
Deferred preneed funeral and cemetery receipts held in trust, excluding accrued expenses	1,667,134	'	1,668,691
Accrued trust operating payables and other	-1,934	'	-1,108
Deferred preneed funeral and cemetery receipts held in trust	1,665,200	'	1,667,583
Realized gains from sales of available-for-sale securities	16,101	11,371	'
Realized losses from sales of available-for-sale securities	-1,474	-1,721	'
Impairment charges	-251	-200	'
Interest, dividend, and other ordinary income	5,574	1,817	'
Trust expenses and income taxes	-4,467	-2,381	'
Net trust investment income	15,483	8,886	'
Investment Income, Nonoperating, Effect on Deferred Preneed Receipts Held in Trust and Care Trust Corpus'	-15,483	-8,886	'
Other income, net	0	0	'
Other income (expense), net	0	0	'
Cemetery [Member]	'	'	'
Components of Other Income, Nonoperating [Line Items]	'	'	'
Deferred preneed funeral and cemetery receipts held in trust, excluding accrued expenses	1,583,172	'	1,584,701
Accrued trust operating payables and other	-2,743	'	-1,698
Deferred preneed funeral and cemetery receipts held in trust	1,580,429	'	1,583,003
Realized gains from sales of available-for-sale securities	25,532	16,576	'
Realized losses from sales of available-for-sale securities	-2,299	-2,170	'
Impairment charges	-339	-357	'
Interest, dividend, and other ordinary income	2,495	1,529	'
Trust expenses and income taxes	-4,815	-3,669	'
Net trust investment income	20,574	11,909	'
Investment Income, Nonoperating, Effect on Deferred Preneed Receipts Held in Trust and Care Trust Corpus'	-20,574	-11,909	'
Other income, net	0	0	'
Other income (expense), net	0	0	'
Cemetery Perpetual Care [Member]	'	'	'
Components of Other Income, Nonoperating [Line Items]	'	'	'
Accrued trust operating payables and other	2,228	'	-1,748
Care trusts' corpus, excluding accrued expenses	1,342,589	'	'
Cemetery perpetual care trust investments	1,342,589	'	1,347,622
Care trusts’ corpus	1,340,361	'	1,345,874
Realized gains from sales of available-for-sale securities	5,045	3,782	'
Realized losses from sales of available-for-sale securities	-337	-322	'
Impairment charges	-40	-63	'
Interest, dividend, and other ordinary income	9,586	6,089	'
Trust expenses and income taxes	-1,547	-575	'
Net trust investment income	12,707	8,911	'
Investment Income, Nonoperating, Effect on Deferred Preneed Receipts Held in Trust and Care Trust Corpus'	-12,707	-8,911	'
Other income, net	0	0	'
Other income (expense), net	0	0	'
Intersegment Eliminations [Member]	'	'	'
Components of Other Income, Nonoperating [Line Items]	'	'	'
Realized gains from sales of available-for-sale securities	0	0	'
Realized losses from sales of available-for-sale securities	0	0	'
Impairment charges	0	0	'
Interest, dividend, and other ordinary income	0	0	'
Trust expenses and income taxes	0	0	'
Net trust investment income	0	0	'
Investment Income, Nonoperating, Effect on Deferred Preneed Receipts Held in Trust and Care Trust Corpus'	0	0	'
Other income, net	1,534	-984	'
Other income (expense), net	$1,534	($984)	'

Income_Taxes_Details

Income Taxes (Details) (USD $)	3 Months Ended
In Millions, unless otherwise specified	Mar. 31, 2014	Mar. 31, 2013
Income Taxes [Abstract]	'	'
Effective Income Tax Rate, Continuing Operations	35.40%	37.50%
Effective Income Tax Rate Reconciliation, at Federal Statutory Income Tax Rate	0.00%	'
Unrecognized Tax Benefits	$136.90	'
Unrecognized Tax Benefits, Income Tax Penalties and Interest Accrued	45.3	'
Unrecognized Tax Benefits, Income Tax Penalties and Interest Expense	$0.70	'

Debt_Details

Debt (Details) (USD $)	Mar. 31, 2014	Dec. 31, 2013
In Thousands, unless otherwise specified
Debt Instrument [Line Items]	'	'
Notes Payable to Bank, Noncurrent	$592,500	$600,000
Line of Credit Facility, Amount Outstanding	140,000	'
Total debt	3,239,630	3,301,910
Long-term Debt and Capital Lease Obligations, Current	-104,284	-153,738
Debt instrument, unamortized discount (premium), net, current portion	-1,421	-22,624
Less current maturities	-105,705	-176,362
Total long-term debt	3,133,925	3,125,548
Unsecured Debt [Member]	'	'
Debt Instrument [Line Items]	'	'
Unamortized pricing discounts and other	5,839	42,084
Unsecured Debt [Member] | July 2014 [Member]	'	'
Debt Instrument [Line Items]	'	'
Convertible Debt	95	85,256
Unsecured Debt [Member] | April 2015 [Member]	'	'
Debt Instrument [Line Items]	'	'
Senior Notes	136,465	136,465
Unsecured Debt [Member] | April 2016 [Member]	'	'
Debt Instrument [Line Items]	'	'
Senior Notes	197,377	197,377
Unsecured Debt [Member] | July 2016 [Member]	'	'
Debt Instrument [Line Items]	'	'
Convertible Debt	154	46,279
Unsecured Debt [Member] | June 2017 [Member]	'	'
Debt Instrument [Line Items]	'	'
Senior Notes	295,000	295,000
Unsecured Debt [Member] | October 2018 [Member]	'	'
Debt Instrument [Line Items]	'	'
Senior Notes	250,000	250,000
Unsecured Debt [Member] | April 2019 [Member]	'	'
Debt Instrument [Line Items]	'	'
Senior Notes	200,000	200,000
Unsecured Debt [Member] | May 2019 [Member]	'	'
Debt Instrument [Line Items]	'	'
Senior Notes	250,000	250,000
Unsecured Debt [Member] | November 2020 [Member]	'	'
Debt Instrument [Line Items]	'	'
Senior Notes	200,000	200,000
Unsecured Debt [Member] | November 2021 [Member]	'	'
Debt Instrument [Line Items]	'	'
Senior Notes	150,000	150,000
Unsecured Debt [Member] | January 2022 [Member]	'	'
Debt Instrument [Line Items]	'	'
Senior Notes	425,000	425,000
Unsecured Debt [Member] | April 2027 [Member]	'	'
Debt Instrument [Line Items]	'	'
Senior Notes	200,000	200,000
Unsecured Debt [Member] | July 2018 [Member]	'	'
Debt Instrument [Line Items]	'	'
Line of Credit Facility, Amount Outstanding	140,000	30,000
Capital Lease Obligations [Member]	'	'
Debt Instrument [Line Items]	'	'
Obligations under capital leases	192,528	189,697
Mortgages [Member]	'	'
Debt Instrument [Line Items]	'	'
Mortgage notes and other debt, maturities through 2047	$4,672	$4,752

Debt_Debt_Textuals_Details

Debt Debt, Textuals (Details) (USD $)	3 Months Ended
	Mar. 31, 2014	Mar. 31, 2013	Dec. 31, 2013
Debt Instrument [Line Items]	'	'	'
Debt, Weighted Average Interest Rate	5.38%	'	5.25%
Long-term Debt, Percentage Bearing Fixed Interest, Percentage Rate	72.00%	'	76.00%
Line of Credit Facility, Maximum Borrowing Capacity	$500,000,000	'	'
Letters of Credit, Maximum Borrowing Capacity	175,000,000	'	'
Letters of Credit Outstanding, Amount	31,600,000	'	'
Line of Credit Facility, Unused Capacity, Commitment Fee Percentage	0.40%	'	'
Line of Credit Facility, Remaining Borrowing Capacity	328,400,000	'	'
Repayments of Debt and Capital Lease Obligations	181,900,000	11,400,000	'
Repayments of Long-term Capital Lease Obligations	7,231,000	6,468,000	'
Repayments of Long-term Debt	7,579,000	4,948,000	'
Capital Lease Obligations Incurred	10,700,000	14,900,000	'
July 2014 [Member]	'	'	'
Debt Instrument [Line Items]	'	'	'
Repayments of Debt	86,300,000	'	'
Repayments of Long-term Debt	21,700,000	'	'
July 2016 [Member]	'	'	'
Debt Instrument [Line Items]	'	'	'
Repayments of Debt	45,000,000	'	'
Repayments of Long-term Debt	14,200,000	'	'
July 2018 [Member]	'	'	'
Debt Instrument [Line Items]	'	'	'
Repayments of Debt	$7,500,000	'	'
February 2013 [Member]	'	'	'
Debt Instrument [Line Items]	'	'	'
Debt Instrument, Interest Rate, Stated Percentage	7.88%	'	'

Credit_Risk_and_Fair_Value_of_2

Credit Risk and Fair Value of Financial Instruments (Details) (USD $)	Mar. 31, 2014	Dec. 31, 2013
In Thousands, unless otherwise specified
Fair Value, Assets and Liabilities Measured on Recurring and Nonrecurring Basis [Line Items]	'	'
Bank credit facility due March 2016	$140,000	'
Mortgage notes and other debt, maturities through 2047	4,672	4,752
Total fair value of debt instruments	3,211,965	3,277,442
July 2014 [Member]	'	'
Fair Value, Assets and Liabilities Measured on Recurring and Nonrecurring Basis [Line Items]	'	'
Senior Notes	121	106,939
April 2015 [Member]	'	'
Fair Value, Assets and Liabilities Measured on Recurring and Nonrecurring Basis [Line Items]	'	'
Senior Notes	143,179	144,653
April 2016 [Member]	'	'
Fair Value, Assets and Liabilities Measured on Recurring and Nonrecurring Basis [Line Items]	'	'
Senior Notes	214,647	214,904
July 2016 [Member]	'	'
Fair Value, Assets and Liabilities Measured on Recurring and Nonrecurring Basis [Line Items]	'	'
Senior Notes	185	60,487
June 2017 [Member]	'	'
Fair Value, Assets and Liabilities Measured on Recurring and Nonrecurring Basis [Line Items]	'	'
Senior Notes	331,285	333,259
October 2018 [Member]	'	'
Fair Value, Assets and Liabilities Measured on Recurring and Nonrecurring Basis [Line Items]	'	'
Senior Notes	288,438	288,875
April 2019 [Member]	'	'
Fair Value, Assets and Liabilities Measured on Recurring and Nonrecurring Basis [Line Items]	'	'
Senior Notes	210,000	210,000
May 2019 [Member]	'	'
Fair Value, Assets and Liabilities Measured on Recurring and Nonrecurring Basis [Line Items]	'	'
Senior Notes	266,250	270,000
November 2020 [Member]	'	'
Fair Value, Assets and Liabilities Measured on Recurring and Nonrecurring Basis [Line Items]	'	'
Senior Notes	196,000	192,610
November 2021 [Member]	'	'
Fair Value, Assets and Liabilities Measured on Recurring and Nonrecurring Basis [Line Items]	'	'
Senior Notes	173,625	173,625
January 2022 [Member]	'	'
Fair Value, Assets and Liabilities Measured on Recurring and Nonrecurring Basis [Line Items]	'	'
Senior Notes	434,563	431,588
April 2027 [Member]	'	'
Fair Value, Assets and Liabilities Measured on Recurring and Nonrecurring Basis [Line Items]	'	'
Senior Notes	216,500	215,750
July 2018 [Member]	'	'
Fair Value, Assets and Liabilities Measured on Recurring and Nonrecurring Basis [Line Items]	'	'
Bank credit facility due March 2016	140,000	30,000
Mortgage notes and other debt, maturities through 2047	$592,500	$600,000

ShareBased_Compensation_Detail

Share-Based Compensation (Details) (USD $)	3 Months Ended
	Mar. 31, 2014	Mar. 31, 2013
Share-based Compensation Arrangement by Share-based Payment Award, Options, Outstanding [Roll Forward]	'	'
Share-based Compensation Arrangement by Share-based Payment Award, Options, Exercises in Period	761,000	0
Stock Options [Member]	'	'
Share-based Compensation Arrangement by Share-based Payment Award [Line Items]	'	'
Dividend yield	1.80%	'
Expected volatility	27.10%	'
Risk-free interest rate	1.10%	'
Expected holding period	'4 years	'
Share-based Compensation Arrangement by Share-based Payment Award, Options, Outstanding [Roll Forward]	'	'
Options outstanding at beginning of period	13,319,750	'
Options outstanding at beginning of period, weighted average exercise price	9.84	'
Granted	2,495,850	'
Granted, weighted average exercise price	17.41	'
Share-based Compensation Arrangement by Share-based Payment Award, Options, Exercises in Period	964,403	'
Exercised, weighted average exercise price	8.82	'
Options outstanding at end of period	14,851,197	'
Options outstanding at end of period, weighted average exercise price	11.18	'
Options exercisable at March 31, 2014	10,339,379	'
Options exercisable at March 31, 2014, weighted average exercise price	9.14	'
Restricted Stock [Member]	'	'
Share-based Compensation Arrangement by Share-based Payment Award, Equity Instruments Other than Options, Nonvested [Roll Forward]	'	'
Nonvested restricted shares at beginning of period	1,183,229	'
Nonvested restricted shares at beginning of period, weighted average grant date fair value	11.81	'
Granted	344,570	'
Granted, weighted average grant date fair value	17.41	'
Vested	187,549	'
Vested, weighted average grant date fair value	11.44	'
Nonvested restricted shares at end of period	1,340,250	'
Nonvested restricted shares at end of period, weighted average grant date fair value	13.3	'

ShareBased_Compensation_ShareB

Share-Based Compensation Share-Based Compensation, Textuals (Details) (USD $)	3 Months Ended
In Millions, unless otherwise specified	Mar. 31, 2014
Employee Stock Option [Member]	'
Employee Service Share-based Compensation, Nonvested Awards, Total Compensation Cost Not yet Recognized	$14.60
Employee Service Share-based Compensation, Nonvested Awards, Total Compensation Cost Not yet Recognized, Period for Recognition	'1 year 7 months 7 days
Restricted Stock [Member]	'
Employee Service Share-based Compensation, Nonvested Awards, Total Compensation Cost Not yet Recognized	$10.80
Employee Service Share-based Compensation, Nonvested Awards, Total Compensation Cost Not yet Recognized, Period for Recognition	'1 year 7 months 7 days

Equity_Details

Equity (Details) (USD $)	Mar. 31, 2014	Dec. 31, 2013	Mar. 31, 2014	Mar. 31, 2014	Mar. 31, 2014
In Thousands, unless otherwise specified			Accumulated Other Comprehensive Income (Loss) [Member]	Foreign Currency Gain (Loss) [Member]	Accumulated Net Unrealized Investment Gain (Loss) [Member]
Accumulated other comprehensive income [Roll Forward]	'	'	'	'	'
Balance at beginning of period	$77,215	$88,441	$88,441	$88,441	$0
Activity in 2014	'	'	-11,226	'	0
Reduction in net unrealized gains associated with available-for-sale securities of the trusts, net of taxes	'	'	17,039	0	17,039
Reclassification of net unrealized losses activity attributable to the Deferred preneed funeral and cemetery receipts held in trust and Care trusts’ corpus, net of taxes	'	'	-17,039	0	-17,039
Balance at end of period	$77,215	$88,441	$77,215	$77,215	$0

Equity_Equity_Textuals_Details

Equity Equity, Textuals (Details) (USD $)	3 Months Ended
	Mar. 31, 2014	Mar. 31, 2013
Dividends declared per share	$0.08	$0.06
Dividends, Common Stock, Cash	$17,100,000	'
Stock Repurchase Program, Remaining Authorized Repurchase Amount	190,100,000	'
Payments for Repurchase of Common Stock	$1,053,000	$1,708,000
Shares repurchases under the share repurchase program	0	'

Segment_Reporting_Details

Segment Reporting (Details) (USD $)	3 Months Ended
In Thousands, unless otherwise specified	Mar. 31, 2014	Mar. 31, 2013
Segment Reporting Information [Line Items]	'	'
Revenue from External Customers	$747,123	$652,352
Gross Profit	166,382	159,657
General and administrative expenses	-56,010	-30,923
Losses on divestitures and impairment charges, net	-2,812	-969
Operating Income (Loss)	107,560	127,765
Interest expense	-44,996	-32,769
Other income (expense), net	1,534	-984
Income before income taxes	64,098	94,012
UNITED STATES	'	'
Segment Reporting Information [Line Items]	'	'
Revenue from External Customers	694,383	595,437
CANADA	'	'
Segment Reporting Information [Line Items]	'	'
Revenue from External Customers	51,126	54,981
GERMANY	'	'
Segment Reporting Information [Line Items]	'	'
Revenue from External Customers	1,614	1,934
Funeral [Member]	'	'
Segment Reporting Information [Line Items]	'	'
Revenue from External Customers	510,668	462,019
Gross Profit	119,389	120,131
Other income (expense), net	0	0
Cemetery [Member]	'	'
Segment Reporting Information [Line Items]	'	'
Revenue from External Customers	236,455	190,333
Gross Profit	46,993	39,526
Other income (expense), net	$0	$0

Supplementary_Information_Deta

Supplementary Information (Details) (USD $)	3 Months Ended
In Thousands, except Share data, unless otherwise specified	Mar. 31, 2014	Mar. 31, 2013
Product Information [Line Items]	'	'
Share-based Compensation Arrangement by Share-based Payment Award, Options, Exercises in Period	761,000	0
Total merchandise revenues	$320,127	$289,805
Total services revenues	382,543	328,398
Other revenues	44,453	34,149
Total revenues	747,123	652,352
Total cost of merchandise	151,491	132,334
Total cost of services	196,543	162,455
Overhead and other expenses	232,707	197,906
Total costs and expenses	580,741	492,695
Stock Repurchased During Period, Shares	-761,000	0
Funeral [Member]	'	'
Product Information [Line Items]	'	'
Total merchandise revenues	164,735	160,329
Total services revenues	311,160	273,830
Total revenues	510,668	462,019
Total cost of merchandise	81,954	75,781
Total cost of services	159,505	136,124
Cemetery [Member]	'	'
Product Information [Line Items]	'	'
Total merchandise revenues	155,392	129,476
Total services revenues	71,383	54,568
Total revenues	236,455	190,333
Total cost of merchandise	69,537	56,553
Total cost of services	$37,038	$26,331

Commitments_and_Contingencies_1

Commitments and Contingencies (Details) (USD $)	Mar. 31, 2014	Dec. 31, 2013
In Millions, unless otherwise specified
Commitments and Contingencies [Abstract]	'	'
Self Insurance Reserve	$80	$78

Earnings_Per_Share_Details

Earnings Per Share (Details) (USD $)	3 Months Ended
In Thousands, except Per Share data, unless otherwise specified	Mar. 31, 2014	Mar. 31, 2013
Net Income (Loss) Attributable to Parent [Abstract]	'	'
Net income — basic	$41,102	$57,620
After tax interest on convertible debt	13	13
Net income — diluted	$41,115	$57,633
Weighted average shares (denominator):	'	'
Weighted average shares — basic	-212,838	-211,380
Stock options	4,272	3,707
Convertible debt	121	121
Weighted average shares — diluted	217,231	215,208
Net income attributable to common stockholders	$0.19	$0.27
Net income attributable to common stockholders	$0.19	$0.27

Earnings_Per_Share_Earnings_Pe

Earnings Per Share Earnings Per Share, Textuals (Details)	3 Months Ended
In Millions, unless otherwise specified	Mar. 31, 2014	Mar. 31, 2013
Earnings Per Share [Abstract]	'	'
Antidilutive Securities Excluded from Computation of Earnings Per Share, Amount	2.7	1.1

Acquisition_Details

Acquisition (Details) (USD $)	3 Months Ended	12 Months Ended
	Mar. 31, 2014	Dec. 31, 2013	Dec. 23, 2013	Oct. 15, 2013	Jun. 03, 2011
Change in estimated valued of acquired cemetery property	$1,942,000	'	'	'	'
Business Acquisition, Pro Forma Revenue	750,105,000	'	'	'	'
Business Combination, Recognized Identifiable Assets Acquired and Liabilities Assumed, Current Assets, Receivables	'	'	14,638,000	'	'
Business Acquisition, Share Price	'	'	$13.25	'	'
Business Combination, Consideration Transferred	'	1,500,000,000	'	'	'
Business combination, debt assumed	'	'	331,500,000	'	'
Business Combination, Recognized Identifiable Assets Acquired and Liabilities Assumed, Current Assets, Prepaid Expense and Other Assets	'	'	198,760,000	'	'
Business Acquisition, Purchase Price Allocation, Cemetery property	'	'	282,524,000	'	'
Business Combination, Recognized Identifiable Assets Acquired and Liabilities Assumed, Property, Plant, and Equipment	'	'	338,363,000	'	'
Business Acquisition, Purchase Price Allocation, Preneed funeral and cemetery receivables and trust investments	'	'	654,805,000	'	'
Business Combination, Recognized Identifiable Assets Acquired and Liabilities Assumed, Finite-Lived Intangibles	'	'	77,134,000	'	'
Business Combination, Recognized Identifiable Assets Acquired and Liabilities Assumed, Indefinite-Lived Intangible Assets	'	'	79,400,000	'	'
Business combination, assets to be divested	'	'	443,169,000	'	'
Business Combination, Recognized Identifiable Assets Acquired and Liabilities Assumed, Other Noncurrent Assets	'	'	278,319,000	'	'
Business Combination, Recognized Identifiable Assets Acquired, Goodwill, and Liabilities Assumed, Net	'	'	625,295,000	'	'
Business Combination, Recognized Identifiable Assets Acquired and Liabilities Assumed, Assets	'	'	2,992,407,000	'	'
Business Combination, Recognized Identifiable Assets Acquired and Liabilities Assumed, Current Liabilities	'	'	217,175,000	'	'
Business Combination, Recognized Identifiable Assets Acquired and Liabilities Assumed, Noncurrent Liabilities, Long-term Debt	'	'	270,668,000	'	'
Business Acquisition, Purchase Price Allocation, Deferred preneed funeral and cemetery revenues and deferred receipts held in trusts	'	'	834,320,000	'	'
Business combination, liabilities held for sale	'	'	162,668,000	'	'
Business Combination, Recognized Identifiable Assets Acquired and Liabilities Assumed, Deferred Tax Liabilities Noncurrent	'	'	62,409,000	'	'
Business Combination, Recognized Identifiable Assets Acquired and Liabilities Assumed, Noncurrent Liabilities, Other	'	'	279,694,000	'	'
Business Combination, Recognized Identifiable Assets Acquired and Liabilities Assumed, Liabilities	'	'	1,826,934,000	'	'
Business combination, noncontrolling interest	'	'	118,000	'	'
Business Combination, Recognized Identifiable Assets Acquired and Liabilities Assumed, Net	'	'	1,165,355,000	'	'
Business Acquisition, Goodwill, Expected Tax Deductible Amount	3,000,000	'	'	'	'
Business Combination, Recognized Identifiable Assets Acquired and Liabilities Assumed, Intangible Assets, Other than Goodwill	156,534,000	'	'	'	'
Business Acquisition, Pro Forma Net Income (Loss)	64,218,000	'	'	'	'
Business Acquisition, Percentage of Voting Interests Acquired	10000000.00%	'	'	20.00%	70.00%
Business Combination, Step Acquisition, Equity Interest in Acquiree, Including Subsequent Acquisition, Percentage	'	'	'	90.00%	'
Change in estimated valued of acquired property and equipment, net	2,093,000	'	'	'	'
Change in estimated valued of acquired finite lived intangible assets	29,146,000	'	'	'	'
Change in the estimated fair value of acquired deferred preneed funeral and cemetery revenues and deferred receipts held in trust	51,463,000	'	'	'	'
Change in the estimated fair value of acquired deferred taxes	-37,760,000	'	'	'	'
Other changes in the estimated fair value of acquired assets and liabilities, net	-751,000	'	'	'	'
Total adjustment to the estimated amount of goodwill in a business combination	46,133,000	'	'	'	'
Stewart [Domain]	'	'	'	'	'
Finite-Lived Intangible Asset, Off-market Lease, Favorable, Gross	6,144,000	'	'	'	'
Finite-Lived Noncompete Agreements, Gross	5,480,000	'	'	'	'
Finite-Lived Contractual Rights, Gross	5,900,000	'	'	'	'
Finite-Lived Customer Lists, Gross	21,960,000	'	'	'	'
Finite-Lived Customer Relationships, Gross	28,500,000	'	'	'	'
Finite-Lived Trade Names, Gross	9,150,000	'	'	'	'
Indefinite-Lived Trade Names	77,900,000	'	'	'	'
Indefinite-Lived License Agreements	1,500,000	'	'	'	'
Cemetery [Member] | Keystone Acquisition [Member] [Member]	'	'	'	'	'
Goodwill, Acquired During Period	281,400,000	'	'	'	'
Funeral [Member] | Keystone Acquisition [Member] [Member]	'	'	'	'	'
Goodwill, Acquired During Period	$343,900,000	'	'	'	'
Minimum [Member] | Customer Lists [Member] | Stewart [Domain]	'	'	'	'	'
Finite-Lived Intangible Asset, Useful Life	'10 years	'	'	'	'
Minimum [Member] | Licensing Agreements [Member] | Stewart [Domain]	'	'	'	'	'
Finite-Lived Intangible Asset, Useful Life	'20 years	'	'	'	'
Minimum [Member] | Noncompete Agreements [Member] | Stewart [Domain]	'	'	'	'	'
Finite-Lived Intangible Asset, Useful Life	'5 years	'	'	'	'
Minimum [Member] | Leases, Acquired-in-Place, Market Adjustment [Member] | Stewart [Domain]	'	'	'	'	'
Finite-Lived Intangible Asset, Useful Life	'26 years	'	'	'	'
Minimum [Member] | Trade Names [Member] | Stewart [Domain]	'	'	'	'	'
Finite-Lived Intangible Asset, Useful Life	'5 years	'	'	'	'
Minimum [Member] | Customer Relationships [Member] | Stewart [Domain]	'	'	'	'	'
Finite-Lived Intangible Asset, Useful Life	'10 years	'	'	'	'
Maximum [Member] | Customer Lists [Member] | Stewart [Domain]	'	'	'	'	'
Finite-Lived Intangible Asset, Useful Life	'14 years	'	'	'	'
Maximum [Member] | Licensing Agreements [Member] | Stewart [Domain]	'	'	'	'	'
Finite-Lived Intangible Asset, Useful Life	'40 years	'	'	'	'
Maximum [Member] | Noncompete Agreements [Member] | Stewart [Domain]	'	'	'	'	'
Finite-Lived Intangible Asset, Useful Life	'15 years	'	'	'	'
Maximum [Member] | Leases, Acquired-in-Place, Market Adjustment [Member] | Stewart [Domain]	'	'	'	'	'
Finite-Lived Intangible Asset, Useful Life	'34 years	'	'	'	'
Maximum [Member] | Trade Names [Member] | Stewart [Domain]	'	'	'	'	'
Finite-Lived Intangible Asset, Useful Life	'5 years	'	'	'	'
Maximum [Member] | Customer Relationships [Member] | Stewart [Domain]	'	'	'	'	'
Finite-Lived Intangible Asset, Useful Life	'20 years	'	'	'	'

DivestitureRelated_Activities_2

Divestiture-Related Activities (Details) (USD $)	3 Months Ended
In Thousands, unless otherwise specified	Mar. 31, 2014	Mar. 31, 2013
Divestiture-Related Activities [Abstract]	'	'
(Losses) gains on divestitures, net	$1,927	($891)
Impairment losses	-4,739	-78
Gains Losses on divestitures and impairment charges, net	($2,812)	($969)

DivestitureRelated_Activities

Divestiture-Related Activities (USD $)	Mar. 31, 2014	Dec. 31, 2013
In Thousands, unless otherwise specified
Divestiture-Related Activities [Abstract]	'	'
Current assets	$5,740	$4,569
Preneed funeral and cemetery receivables and trust investments, held for sale	346,690	342,728
Cemetery property, held for sale	103,391	83,115
Assets Held-for-sale, Property, Plant and Equipment	82,631	63,356
Goodwill, held for sale	127,138	140,860
Deferred charges and other assets, held for sale	22,954	32,989
Cemetery perpetual care trust investments, held for sale	112,197	83,426
Assets Held-for-sale, at Carrying Value	800,741	751,043
Current liabilities held for sale	4,850	3,183
Deferred preneed funeral and cemetery revenues and deferred receipts held in trusts, held for sale	387,620	349,449
Care trusts' corpus, held for sale	112,197	83,426
Other long-term liabilities, held for sale	4,606	4,209
Total liabilities, held for sale	509,273	440,267
Net assets held for sale	$291,468	$310,776

Guarantor_Narrative_Details

Guarantor Narrative (Details) (Unsecured Debt [Member], April 2019 [Member], USD $)	Mar. 31, 2014	Dec. 31, 2013
In Thousands, unless otherwise specified
Unsecured Debt [Member] | April 2019 [Member]	'	'
Debt Instrument [Line Items]	'	'
Senior Notes	$200,000	$200,000

Guarantor_Condensed_Consolidat

Guarantor Condensed Consolidating Statements of Operations (Details) (USD $)	3 Months Ended
In Thousands, unless otherwise specified	Mar. 31, 2014	Mar. 31, 2013
Condensed Financial Statements, Captions [Line Items]	'	'
Revenues	$747,123	$652,352
Costs and expenses	-580,741	-492,695
Gross profits	166,382	159,657
General and administrative expenses	-56,010	-30,923
Losses on divestitures and impairment charges, net	-2,812	-969
Operating income	107,560	127,765
Interest expense	-44,996	-32,769
Equity in subsidiaries	0	0
Other (expense) income, net	1,534	-984
Income from continuing operations before income taxes	64,098	94,012
Benefit (provision for income taxes	-22,707	-35,290
Net income	41,391	58,722
Net income attributable to noncontrolling interests	-289	-1,102
Net income attributable to common stockholders	41,102	57,620
Parent Company [Member]	'	'
Condensed Financial Statements, Captions [Line Items]	'	'
Revenues	0	0
Costs and expenses	0	0
Gross profits	0	0
General and administrative expenses	-267	-262
Losses on divestitures and impairment charges, net	0	0
Operating income	-267	-262
Interest expense	-40,593	-31,035
Equity in subsidiaries	66,917	77,420
Other (expense) income, net	0	0
Income from continuing operations before income taxes	26,057	46,123
Benefit (provision for income taxes	15,045	11,497
Net income	41,102	57,620
Net income attributable to noncontrolling interests	0	0
Net income attributable to common stockholders	41,102	57,620
Subsidiary Issuer [Member]	'	'
Condensed Financial Statements, Captions [Line Items]	'	'
Revenues	0	'
Costs and expenses	0	'
Gross profits	0	'
General and administrative expenses	-8,979	'
Losses on divestitures and impairment charges, net	0	'
Operating income	-8,979	'
Interest expense	-2,652	'
Equity in subsidiaries	19,394	'
Other (expense) income, net	-2	'
Income from continuing operations before income taxes	7,761	'
Benefit (provision for income taxes	4,691	'
Net income	12,452	'
Net income attributable to noncontrolling interests	0	'
Net income attributable to common stockholders	12,452	'
Guarantor Subsidiaries [Member]	'	'
Condensed Financial Statements, Captions [Line Items]	'	'
Revenues	110,165	'
Costs and expenses	-78,197	'
Gross profits	31,968	'
General and administrative expenses	0	'
Losses on divestitures and impairment charges, net	-66	'
Operating income	31,902	'
Interest expense	0	'
Equity in subsidiaries	384	'
Other (expense) income, net	1	'
Income from continuing operations before income taxes	32,287	'
Benefit (provision for income taxes	-12,863	'
Net income	19,424	'
Net income attributable to noncontrolling interests	0	'
Net income attributable to common stockholders	19,424	'
Non-Guarantor Subsidiaries [Member]	'	'
Condensed Financial Statements, Captions [Line Items]	'	'
Revenues	636,958	652,352
Costs and expenses	-502,544	-492,695
Gross profits	134,414	159,657
General and administrative expenses	-46,764	-30,661
Losses on divestitures and impairment charges, net	-2,746	-969
Operating income	84,904	128,027
Interest expense	-1,751	-1,734
Equity in subsidiaries	0	0
Other (expense) income, net	1,535	-984
Income from continuing operations before income taxes	84,688	125,309
Benefit (provision for income taxes	-29,580	-46,787
Net income	55,108	78,522
Net income attributable to noncontrolling interests	0	0
Net income attributable to common stockholders	55,108	78,522
Consolidation, Eliminations [Member]	'	'
Condensed Financial Statements, Captions [Line Items]	'	'
Revenues	0	0
Costs and expenses	0	0
Gross profits	0	0
General and administrative expenses	0	0
Losses on divestitures and impairment charges, net	0	0
Operating income	0	0
Interest expense	0	0
Equity in subsidiaries	-86,695	-77,420
Other (expense) income, net	0	0
Income from continuing operations before income taxes	-86,695	-77,420
Benefit (provision for income taxes	0	0
Net income	-86,695	-77,420
Net income attributable to noncontrolling interests	-289	-1,102
Net income attributable to common stockholders	($86,984)	($78,522)

Guarantor_Condensed_Consolidat1

Guarantor Condensed Consolidating Statements of Comprehensive Income (Details) (USD $)	3 Months Ended
In Thousands, unless otherwise specified	Mar. 31, 2014	Mar. 31, 2013
Condensed Financial Statements, Captions [Line Items]	'	'
Net income	$41,391	$58,722
Other comprehensive income	-11,515	-6,614
Total comprehensive income attributable to common stockholders	29,876	52,108
Parent Company [Member]	'	'
Condensed Financial Statements, Captions [Line Items]	'	'
Net income	41,102	57,620
Other comprehensive income	-11,226	-5,512
Total comprehensive income attributable to common stockholders	29,876	52,108
Subsidiary Issuer [Member]	'	'
Condensed Financial Statements, Captions [Line Items]	'	'
Net income	12,452	'
Other comprehensive income	0	'
Total comprehensive income attributable to common stockholders	12,452	'
Guarantor Subsidiaries [Member]	'	'
Condensed Financial Statements, Captions [Line Items]	'	'
Net income	19,424	'
Other comprehensive income	0	'
Total comprehensive income attributable to common stockholders	19,424	'
Non-Guarantor Subsidiaries [Member]	'	'
Condensed Financial Statements, Captions [Line Items]	'	'
Net income	55,108	78,522
Other comprehensive income	-11,226	-5,512
Total comprehensive income attributable to common stockholders	43,882	73,010
Consolidation, Eliminations [Member]	'	'
Condensed Financial Statements, Captions [Line Items]	'	'
Net income	-86,695	-77,420
Other comprehensive income	10,937	4,410
Total comprehensive income attributable to common stockholders	($75,758)	($73,010)

Guarantor_Condensed_Consolidat2

Guarantor Condensed Consolidating Balance Sheets (Details) (USD $)	Mar. 31, 2014	Dec. 31, 2013	Mar. 31, 2013	Dec. 31, 2012
In Thousands, unless otherwise specified
Condensed Balance Sheet Statements, Captions [Line Items]	'	'	'	'
Cash and cash equivalents	$148,619	$144,873	$188,546	$92,708
Receivables, net	105,813	105,899	'	'
Inventories, net	34,508	34,668	'	'
Current assets held for sale	5,740	4,569	'	'
Other	81,324	104,598	'	'
Total current assets	376,004	394,607	'	'
Equity in subsidiaries	0	0	'	'
Preneed funeral receivables, net and trust investments	1,871,539	1,870,874	'	'
Preneed cemetery receivables, net and trust investments	2,301,633	2,300,911	'	'
Cemetery property, at cost	1,721,446	1,747,125	'	'
Property and equipment, net	1,887,019	1,920,868	'	'
Non-current assets held for sale	795,001	746,474	'	'
Deferred charges and other assets	631,759	632,088	'	'
Goodwill, net	1,978,621	1,968,235	'	'
Cemetery perpetual care trust investments	1,342,589	1,347,622	'	'
Total assets	12,905,611	12,928,804	'	'
Accounts payable and accrued liabilities	477,368	486,648	'	'
Current maturities of long-term debt	105,705	176,362	'	'
Current liabilities held for sale	4,850	3,183	'	'
Income taxes	3,301	6,391	'	'
Total current liabilities	591,224	672,584	'	'
Long-term debt	3,133,925	3,125,548	'	'
Deferred preneed funeral revenues	672,631	686,160	'	'
Deferred preneed cemetery revenues	986,538	974,757	'	'
Deferred tax liability	586,991	581,440	'	'
Non-current liabilities held for sale	504,423	437,084	'	'
Other liabilities	404,693	430,393	'	'
Deferred preneed funeral and cemetery receipts held in trust	3,245,629	3,250,586	'	'
Care trusts’ corpus	1,340,361	1,345,874	'	'
Common stock	213,532	212,317	'	'
Other equity	1,145,680	1,113,472	'	'
Accumulated other comprehensive income	77,215	88,441	'	'
Total common stockholders’ equity	1,436,427	1,414,230	'	'
Noncontrolling interests	2,769	10,148	'	'
Total equity	1,439,196	1,424,378	1,399,081	1,362,827
Total liabilities and equity	12,905,611	12,928,804	'	'
Parent Company [Member]	'	'	'	'
Condensed Balance Sheet Statements, Captions [Line Items]	'	'	'	'
Cash and cash equivalents	0	0	0	0
Receivables, net	0	0	'	'
Inventories, net	0	0	'	'
Current assets held for sale	0	0	'	'
Other	9,176	9,083	'	'
Total current assets	9,176	9,083	'	'
Equity in subsidiaries	4,280,493	4,132,098	'	'
Preneed funeral receivables, net and trust investments	0	0	'	'
Preneed cemetery receivables, net and trust investments	0	0	'	'
Cemetery property, at cost	0	0	'	'
Property and equipment, net	0	0	'	'
Non-current assets held for sale	0	0	'	'
Deferred charges and other assets	39,887	42,068	'	'
Goodwill, net	0	0	'	'
Cemetery perpetual care trust investments	0	0	'	'
Total assets	4,329,556	4,183,249	'	'
Accounts payable and accrued liabilities	54,039	31,914	'	'
Current maturities of long-term debt	0	30,000	'	'
Current liabilities held for sale	0	0	'	'
Income taxes	0	0	'	'
Total current liabilities	54,039	61,914	'	'
Long-term debt	2,833,690	2,701,611	'	'
Deferred preneed funeral revenues	0	0	'	'
Deferred preneed cemetery revenues	0	0	'	'
Deferred tax liability	1,082	1,092	'	'
Non-current liabilities held for sale	0	0	'	'
Other liabilities	4,318	4,402	'	'
Deferred preneed funeral and cemetery receipts held in trust	0	0	'	'
Care trusts’ corpus	0	0	'	'
Common stock	213,532	212,317	'	'
Other equity	1,145,680	1,113,472	'	'
Accumulated other comprehensive income	77,215	88,441	'	'
Total common stockholders’ equity	1,436,427	1,414,230	'	'
Noncontrolling interests	0	0	'	'
Total equity	1,436,427	1,414,230	'	'
Total liabilities and equity	4,329,556	4,183,249	'	'
Subsidiary Issuer [Member]	'	'	'	'
Condensed Balance Sheet Statements, Captions [Line Items]	'	'	'	'
Cash and cash equivalents	21,341	53,543	'	'
Receivables, net	909	442	'	'
Inventories, net	0	0	'	'
Current assets held for sale	0	0	'	'
Other	7,668	29,133	'	'
Total current assets	29,918	83,118	'	'
Equity in subsidiaries	657,543	828,457	'	'
Preneed funeral receivables, net and trust investments	0	0	'	'
Preneed cemetery receivables, net and trust investments	0	0	'	'
Cemetery property, at cost	0	0	'	'
Property and equipment, net	13,900	15,243	'	'
Non-current assets held for sale	0	0	'	'
Deferred charges and other assets	17,684	31,807	'	'
Goodwill, net	647,890	624,711	'	'
Cemetery perpetual care trust investments	0	0	'	'
Total assets	1,366,935	1,583,336	'	'
Accounts payable and accrued liabilities	25,723	46,020	'	'
Current maturities of long-term debt	95	106,939	'	'
Current liabilities held for sale	0	0	'	'
Income taxes	74	560	'	'
Total current liabilities	25,892	153,519	'	'
Long-term debt	209,418	270,578	'	'
Deferred preneed funeral revenues	0	0	'	'
Deferred preneed cemetery revenues	0	0	'	'
Deferred tax liability	0	0	'	'
Non-current liabilities held for sale	0	0	'	'
Other liabilities	14,779	29,944	'	'
Deferred preneed funeral and cemetery receipts held in trust	0	0	'	'
Care trusts’ corpus	0	0	'	'
Common stock	85,175	85,175	'	'
Other equity	1,031,671	1,044,120	'	'
Accumulated other comprehensive income	0	0	'	'
Total common stockholders’ equity	1,116,846	1,129,295	'	'
Noncontrolling interests	0	0	'	'
Total equity	1,116,846	1,129,295	'	'
Total liabilities and equity	1,366,935	1,583,336	'	'
Guarantor Subsidiaries [Member]	'	'	'	'
Condensed Balance Sheet Statements, Captions [Line Items]	'	'	'	'
Cash and cash equivalents	753	1,898	'	'
Receivables, net	5,536	23,908	'	'
Inventories, net	10,194	10,925	'	'
Current assets held for sale	4,164	3,333	'	'
Other	34,403	35,368	'	'
Total current assets	55,050	75,432	'	'
Equity in subsidiaries	4,546	4,546	'	'
Preneed funeral receivables, net and trust investments	376,292	358,567	'	'
Preneed cemetery receivables, net and trust investments	255,305	265,346	'	'
Cemetery property, at cost	233,661	264,226	'	'
Property and equipment, net	294,574	306,174	'	'
Non-current assets held for sale	451,409	443,170	'	'
Deferred charges and other assets	171,703	150,665	'	'
Goodwill, net	0	0	'	'
Cemetery perpetual care trust investments	206,859	223,903	'	'
Total assets	2,049,399	2,092,029	'	'
Accounts payable and accrued liabilities	25,955	43,706	'	'
Current maturities of long-term debt	291	0	'	'
Current liabilities held for sale	3,484	1,647	'	'
Income taxes	90	1,427	'	'
Total current liabilities	29,820	46,780	'	'
Long-term debt	172	89	'	'
Deferred preneed funeral revenues	177,046	176,958	'	'
Deferred preneed cemetery revenues	106,168	85,163	'	'
Deferred tax liability	152,608	61,835	'	'
Non-current liabilities held for sale	208,029	162,668	'	'
Other liabilities	7,168	11,116	'	'
Deferred preneed funeral and cemetery receipts held in trust	473,606	503,667	'	'
Care trusts’ corpus	207,309	223,903	'	'
Common stock	102	102	'	'
Other equity	687,371	819,748	'	'
Accumulated other comprehensive income	0	0	'	'
Total common stockholders’ equity	687,473	819,850	'	'
Noncontrolling interests	0	0	'	'
Total equity	687,473	819,850	'	'
Total liabilities and equity	2,049,399	2,092,029	'	'
Non-Guarantor Subsidiaries [Member]	'	'	'	'
Condensed Balance Sheet Statements, Captions [Line Items]	'	'	'	'
Cash and cash equivalents	126,525	89,432	188,546	92,708
Receivables, net	99,368	81,549	'	'
Inventories, net	24,314	23,743	'	'
Current assets held for sale	1,576	1,236	'	'
Other	30,077	31,014	'	'
Total current assets	281,860	226,974	'	'
Equity in subsidiaries	0	0	'	'
Preneed funeral receivables, net and trust investments	1,495,247	1,512,307	'	'
Preneed cemetery receivables, net and trust investments	2,046,328	2,035,565	'	'
Cemetery property, at cost	1,487,785	1,482,899	'	'
Property and equipment, net	1,578,545	1,599,451	'	'
Non-current assets held for sale	343,592	303,304	'	'
Deferred charges and other assets	402,485	407,548	'	'
Goodwill, net	1,330,731	1,343,524	'	'
Cemetery perpetual care trust investments	1,135,730	1,123,719	'	'
Total assets	10,102,303	10,035,291	'	'
Accounts payable and accrued liabilities	371,651	365,008	'	'
Current maturities of long-term debt	105,319	39,423	'	'
Current liabilities held for sale	1,366	1,536	'	'
Income taxes	3,137	4,404	'	'
Total current liabilities	481,473	410,371	'	'
Long-term debt	90,645	153,270	'	'
Deferred preneed funeral revenues	495,585	509,202	'	'
Deferred preneed cemetery revenues	880,370	889,594	'	'
Deferred tax liability	433,301	518,513	'	'
Non-current liabilities held for sale	296,394	274,416	'	'
Other liabilities	378,428	384,931	'	'
Deferred preneed funeral and cemetery receipts held in trust	2,772,023	2,746,919	'	'
Care trusts’ corpus	1,133,052	1,121,971	'	'
Common stock	25	25	'	'
Other equity	3,141,007	2,937,638	'	'
Accumulated other comprehensive income	0	88,441	'	'
Total common stockholders’ equity	3,141,032	3,026,104	'	'
Noncontrolling interests	0	0	'	'
Total equity	3,141,032	3,026,104	'	'
Total liabilities and equity	10,102,303	10,035,291	'	'
Consolidation, Eliminations [Member]	'	'	'	'
Condensed Balance Sheet Statements, Captions [Line Items]	'	'	'	'
Cash and cash equivalents	0	0	0	0
Receivables, net	0	0	'	'
Inventories, net	0	0	'	'
Current assets held for sale	0	0	'	'
Other	0	0	'	'
Total current assets	0	0	'	'
Equity in subsidiaries	-4,942,582	-4,965,101	'	'
Preneed funeral receivables, net and trust investments	0	0	'	'
Preneed cemetery receivables, net and trust investments	0	0	'	'
Cemetery property, at cost	0	0	'	'
Property and equipment, net	0	0	'	'
Non-current assets held for sale	0	0	'	'
Deferred charges and other assets	0	0	'	'
Goodwill, net	0	0	'	'
Cemetery perpetual care trust investments	0	0	'	'
Total assets	-4,942,582	-4,965,101	'	'
Accounts payable and accrued liabilities	0	0	'	'
Current maturities of long-term debt	0	0	'	'
Current liabilities held for sale	0	0	'	'
Income taxes	0	0	'	'
Total current liabilities	0	0	'	'
Long-term debt	0	0	'	'
Deferred preneed funeral revenues	0	0	'	'
Deferred preneed cemetery revenues	0	0	'	'
Deferred tax liability	0	0	'	'
Non-current liabilities held for sale	0	0	'	'
Other liabilities	0	0	'	'
Deferred preneed funeral and cemetery receipts held in trust	0	0	'	'
Care trusts’ corpus	0	0	'	'
Common stock	-85,302	-85,302	'	'
Other equity	-4,860,049	-4,801,506	'	'
Accumulated other comprehensive income	0	-88,441	'	'
Total common stockholders’ equity	-4,945,351	-4,975,249	'	'
Noncontrolling interests	2,769	10,148	'	'
Total equity	-4,942,582	-4,965,101	'	'
Total liabilities and equity	($4,942,582)	($4,965,101)	'	'

Guarantor_Condensed_Consolidat3

Guarantor Condensed Consolidating Statements of Cash Flows (Details) (USD $)	3 Months Ended
In Thousands, unless otherwise specified	Mar. 31, 2014	Mar. 31, 2013
Condensed Cash Flow Statements, Captions [Line Items]	'	'
Net cash (used in) provided by operating activities	$127,887	$151,124
Capital expenditures	-25,222	-22,569
Acquisitions, net of cash acquired	-779	0
Proceeds from divestitures and sales of property and equipment	2,639	1,816
Net withdrawals (deposits) of restricted funds and other	-12,225	339
Contributions to subsidiaries	0	0
Net cash (used in) provided by investing activities	-35,587	-20,414
Proceeds from issuance of long-term debt	110,000	0
Payments of debt	-7,579	-4,948
Early extinguishment of debt	-167,093	'
Principal payments on capital leases	-7,231	-6,468
Proceeds from exercise of stock options	7,915	3,094
Excess tax benefits from share based awards	6,744	772
Purchase of Company common stock	-1,053	-1,708
Payments of dividends	-17,080	-12,698
Purchase of noncontrolling interest	-15,000	-8,333
Bank overdrafts and other	3,762	-4,004
Contributions from (distributions to) parent	0	0
Net cash provided by (used in) financing activities	-86,615	-34,293
Effect of foreign currency	-1,939	-579
Net increase (decrease) in cash and cash equivalents	3,746	95,838
Cash and cash equivalents at beginning of period	144,873	92,708
Cash and cash equivalents at end of period	148,619	188,546
Parent Company [Member]	'	'
Condensed Cash Flow Statements, Captions [Line Items]	'	'
Net cash (used in) provided by operating activities	-28,168	-1,261
Capital expenditures	0	0
Acquisitions, net of cash acquired	0	'
Proceeds from divestitures and sales of property and equipment	0	0
Net withdrawals (deposits) of restricted funds and other	0	0
Contributions to subsidiaries	-70,858	16,558
Net cash (used in) provided by investing activities	-70,858	16,558
Proceeds from issuance of long-term debt	110,000	'
Payments of debt	-7,500	-4,757
Early extinguishment of debt	0	'
Principal payments on capital leases	0	0
Proceeds from exercise of stock options	7,915	3,094
Excess tax benefits from share based awards	6,744	772
Purchase of Company common stock	-1,053	-1,708
Payments of dividends	-17,080	-12,698
Purchase of noncontrolling interest	'	'
Bank overdrafts and other	0	0
Contributions from (distributions to) parent	0	0
Net cash provided by (used in) financing activities	99,026	-15,297
Effect of foreign currency	0	0
Net increase (decrease) in cash and cash equivalents	0	0
Cash and cash equivalents at beginning of period	0	0
Cash and cash equivalents at end of period	0	0
Subsidiary Issuer [Member]	'	'
Condensed Cash Flow Statements, Captions [Line Items]	'	'
Net cash (used in) provided by operating activities	-32,202	'
Capital expenditures	0	'
Acquisitions, net of cash acquired	0	'
Proceeds from divestitures and sales of property and equipment	0	'
Net withdrawals (deposits) of restricted funds and other	2,035	'
Contributions to subsidiaries	0	'
Net cash (used in) provided by investing activities	2,035	'
Proceeds from issuance of long-term debt	0	'
Payments of debt	0	'
Early extinguishment of debt	-167,093	'
Principal payments on capital leases	0	'
Proceeds from exercise of stock options	0	'
Excess tax benefits from share based awards	0	'
Purchase of Company common stock	0	'
Payments of dividends	0	'
Purchase of noncontrolling interest	'	'
Bank overdrafts and other	0	'
Contributions from (distributions to) parent	165,058	'
Net cash provided by (used in) financing activities	-2,035	'
Effect of foreign currency	0	'
Net increase (decrease) in cash and cash equivalents	-32,202	'
Cash and cash equivalents at beginning of period	53,543	'
Cash and cash equivalents at end of period	21,341	'
Guarantor Subsidiaries [Member]	'	'
Condensed Cash Flow Statements, Captions [Line Items]	'	'
Net cash (used in) provided by operating activities	47,998	'
Capital expenditures	-4,120	'
Acquisitions, net of cash acquired	0	'
Proceeds from divestitures and sales of property and equipment	0	'
Net withdrawals (deposits) of restricted funds and other	-14,260	'
Contributions to subsidiaries	0	'
Net cash (used in) provided by investing activities	-18,380	'
Proceeds from issuance of long-term debt	0	'
Payments of debt	0	'
Early extinguishment of debt	0	'
Principal payments on capital leases	-23	'
Proceeds from exercise of stock options	0	'
Excess tax benefits from share based awards	0	'
Purchase of Company common stock	0	'
Payments of dividends	0	'
Purchase of noncontrolling interest	0	'
Bank overdrafts and other	0	'
Contributions from (distributions to) parent	-30,740	'
Net cash provided by (used in) financing activities	-30,763	'
Effect of foreign currency	0	'
Net increase (decrease) in cash and cash equivalents	-1,145	'
Cash and cash equivalents at beginning of period	1,898	'
Cash and cash equivalents at end of period	753	'
Non-Guarantor Subsidiaries [Member]	'	'
Condensed Cash Flow Statements, Captions [Line Items]	'	'
Net cash (used in) provided by operating activities	140,259	152,385
Capital expenditures	-21,102	-22,569
Acquisitions, net of cash acquired	-779	'
Proceeds from divestitures and sales of property and equipment	2,639	1,816
Net withdrawals (deposits) of restricted funds and other	0	339
Contributions to subsidiaries	0	0
Net cash (used in) provided by investing activities	-19,242	-20,414
Proceeds from issuance of long-term debt	0	'
Payments of debt	-79	-191
Early extinguishment of debt	0	'
Principal payments on capital leases	-7,208	-6,468
Proceeds from exercise of stock options	0	0
Excess tax benefits from share based awards	0	0
Purchase of Company common stock	0	0
Payments of dividends	0	0
Purchase of noncontrolling interest	-15,000	-8,333
Bank overdrafts and other	3,762	-4,004
Contributions from (distributions to) parent	-63,460	-16,558
Net cash provided by (used in) financing activities	-81,985	-35,554
Effect of foreign currency	-1,939	-579
Net increase (decrease) in cash and cash equivalents	37,093	95,838
Cash and cash equivalents at beginning of period	89,432	92,708
Cash and cash equivalents at end of period	126,525	188,546
Consolidation, Eliminations [Member]	'	'
Condensed Cash Flow Statements, Captions [Line Items]	'	'
Net cash (used in) provided by operating activities	0	0
Capital expenditures	0	0
Acquisitions, net of cash acquired	0	'
Proceeds from divestitures and sales of property and equipment	0	0
Net withdrawals (deposits) of restricted funds and other	0	0
Contributions to subsidiaries	70,858	-16,558
Net cash (used in) provided by investing activities	70,858	-16,558
Proceeds from issuance of long-term debt	0	'
Payments of debt	0	0
Early extinguishment of debt	0	'
Principal payments on capital leases	0	0
Proceeds from exercise of stock options	0	0
Excess tax benefits from share based awards	0	0
Purchase of Company common stock	0	0
Payments of dividends	0	0
Purchase of noncontrolling interest	0	'
Bank overdrafts and other	0	0
Contributions from (distributions to) parent	-70,858	16,558
Net cash provided by (used in) financing activities	-70,858	16,558
Effect of foreign currency	0	0
Net increase (decrease) in cash and cash equivalents	0	0
Cash and cash equivalents at beginning of period	0	0
Cash and cash equivalents at end of period	$0	$0