Service Corporation International (SCI) 10-Q 1 Aug 14 2014 Q2 Quarterly report Financial data

Document_and_Entity_Informatio

Document and Entity Information Document	6 Months Ended
	Jun. 30, 2014	Jul. 29, 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	30-Jun-14	'
Document Fiscal Year Focus	'2014	'
Document Fiscal Period Focus	'Q2	'
Amendment Flag	'false	'
Entity Common Stock, Shares Outstanding	'	211,301,267

Unaudited_Condensed_Consolidat

Unaudited Condensed Consolidated Statement of Operations Statement (USD $)	3 Months Ended		6 Months Ended
In Thousands, except Per Share data, unless otherwise specified	Jun. 30, 2014	Jun. 30, 2013	Jun. 30, 2014	Jun. 30, 2013
Revenues	$746,746	$624,231	$1,492,255	$1,274,649
Costs and expenses	-590,882	-498,248	-1,170,151	-989,339
Gross profits	155,864	125,983	322,104	285,310
General and administrative expenses	-46,127	-31,379	-102,137	-62,302
Losses (gains) on divestitures and impairment charges, net	34,994	-5,545	32,182	-6,514
Operating income	144,731	89,059	252,149	216,494
Interest expense	-46,307	-32,740	-91,303	-65,509
Gains on early extinguishment of debt, net	-29,158	468	-29,158	468
Other (expense) income, net	50	-695	1,586	-1,680
Income before income taxes	69,316	56,092	133,274	149,773
Provision for income taxes	-37,357	-21,598	-60,064	-56,888
Net income	31,781	34,435	73,172	93,158
Income (Loss) from Discontinued Operations, Net of Tax, Including Portion Attributable to Noncontrolling Interest	178	59	-38	273
Income (Loss) from Continuing Operations, Including Portion Attributable to Noncontrolling Interest	31,959	34,494	73,210	92,885
Net income attributable to noncontrolling interests	-5,859	-820	-6,148	-1,922
Net income attributable to common stockholders	$25,922	$33,615	$67,024	$91,236
Basic earnings per share:	'	'	'	'
Net income attributable to common stockholders, basic	$0.12	$0.16	$0.32	$0.43
Basic weighted average number of shares	212,390	211,821	212,613	211,602
Diluted earnings per share:	'	'	'	'
Net income attributable to common stockholders, diluted	$0.12	$0.16	$0.31	$0.42
Diluted weighted average number of shares	215,989	215,946	216,593	215,603
Dividends declared per share	$0.08	$0.07	$0.16	$0.13

Unaudited_Condensed_Consolidat1

Unaudited Condensed Consolidated Statement of Comprehensive Income (USD $)	3 Months Ended		6 Months Ended
In Thousands, unless otherwise specified	Jun. 30, 2014	Jun. 30, 2013	Jun. 30, 2014	Jun. 30, 2013
Net income	$31,781	$34,435	$73,172	$93,158
Foreign currency translation adjustments	13,528	-11,754	2,328	-17,270
Comprehensive income	45,309	22,681	75,500	75,888
Comprehensive income (loss) attributable to noncontrolling interests	-5,844	-814	-6,158	-1,912
Comprehensive income attributable to common stockholders	$39,465	$21,867	$69,342	$73,976

Unaudited_Condensed_Consolidat2

Unaudited Condensed Consolidated Balance Sheet Statement (USD $)	Jun. 30, 2014	Dec. 31, 2013
In Thousands, unless otherwise specified
Current assets:	'	'
Cash and cash equivalents	$140,515	$141,580
Receivables, net	102,257	101,826
Deferred tax assets	28,262	27,138
Inventories, net	33,453	36,102
Assets of Disposal Group, Including Discontinued Operation, Current	2,979	4,750
Assets Held-for-sale, Current	3,043	4,569
Other	45,192	65,501
Total current assets	355,701	381,466
Preneed funeral receivables, net and trust investments	1,880,467	1,851,633
Preneed cemetery receivables, net and trust investments	2,404,682	2,297,823
Cemetery property, at cost	1,744,048	1,773,021
Property and equipment, net	1,883,249	1,923,188
Assets of Disposal Group, Including Discontinued Operation, Noncurrent	3,954	2,491
Assets Held-for-sale, Long Lived	644,406	823,211
Goodwill, net	1,897,845	1,902,683
Deferred charges and other assets	637,752	628,665
Cemetery perpetual care trust investments	1,405,074	1,344,322
Total assets	12,857,178	12,928,503
Current liabilities:	'	'
Accounts payable and accrued liabilities	455,320	482,508
Current maturities of long-term debt	102,065	153,738
Long-term Debt, Current Maturities	101,436	176,362
Liabilities of Disposal Group, Including Discontinued Operation, Current	4,014	4,728
Liabilities of Assets Held-for-sale, Current	2,252	3,183
Income taxes	1,910	6,401
Total current liabilities	564,932	673,182
Long-term debt	3,050,367	3,125,548
Deferred preneed funeral revenues	596,669	610,604
Deferred preneed cemetery revenues	1,017,848	977,547
Deferred tax liability	597,432	580,543
Liabilities of Disposal Group, Including Discontinued Operation, Noncurrent	1,390	968
Liabilities of Assets Held-for-sale	440,008	518,371
Other liabilities	427,710	444,954
Deferred preneed funeral and cemetery receipts held in trust	3,330,960	3,229,834
Care trusts’ corpus	1,404,267	1,342,574
Commitments and contingencies (Note 15)	'	'
Stockholders' Equity:	'	'
Common stock, $1 per share par value, 500,000,000 shares authorized, 214,328,348 and 212,326,642 shares issued, respectively, and 211,175,401 and 212,316,642 shares outstanding, respectively	211,175	212,317
Capital in excess of par value	1,233,232	1,259,348
Accumulated deficit	-118,184	-145,876
Accumulated other comprehensive income	90,759	88,441
Total common stockholders’ equity	1,416,982	1,414,230
Noncontrolling interests	8,613	10,148
Total equity	1,425,595	1,424,378
Total liabilities and equity	$12,857,178	$12,928,503

Unaudited_Condensed_Consolidat3

Unaudited Condensed Consolidated Balance Sheet (Parenthetical) (USD $)	Jun. 30, 2014	Dec. 31, 2013
Common stock, par value	$1	$1
Common stock, shares authorized	500,000,000	500,000,000
Common stock, shares issued	214,328,348	212,326,642
Common stock, shares outstanding	211,175,401	212,316,642

Unaudited_Condensed_Consolidat4

Unaudited Condensed Consolidated Statement of Cash Flows Statement (USD $)	6 Months Ended
In Thousands, unless otherwise specified	Jun. 30, 2014	Jun. 30, 2013
Cash flows from operating activities:	'	'
Net income	$73,172	$93,158
Adjustments to reconcile net income to net cash provided by operating activities:	'	'
Income (Loss) from Discontinued Operations, Net of Tax, Including Portion Attributable to Noncontrolling Interest	38	-273
Cash Provided by (Used in) Operating Activities, Discontinued Operations	-1,000	380
Gains on early extinguishment of debt, net	29,158	-468
Payments of Debt Extinguishment Costs	-24,804	0
Depreciation and amortization	70,595	61,061
Amortization of intangible assets	19,346	11,412
Amortization of cemetery property	25,790	19,588
Amortization of loan costs	4,048	2,486
Provision for doubtful accounts	4,541	3,132
Provision for deferred income taxes	26,484	42,103
Losses (gains) on divestitures and impairment charges, net	-32,182	6,514
Share-based compensation	6,423	5,850
Excess tax benefits from share based awards	-12,521	-5,558
Change in assets and liabilities, net of effects from acquisitions and divestitures:	'	'
Decrease in receivables	-7,241	4,122
Increase (decrease) in other assets	-22,351	-4,842
Decrease in payables and other liabilities	9,437	-7,435
Effect of preneed funeral production and maturities:	'	'
Decrease in preneed funeral receivables, net and trust investments	23,963	28,514
Decrease in deferred preneed funeral revenue	-11,965	-3,799
Decrease in deferred preneed funeral receipts held in trust	-22,550	-28,576
Effect of cemetery production and deliveries:	'	'
Increase in preneed cemetery receivables, net and trust investments	-31,736	-32,380
Increase in deferred preneed cemetery revenue	43,478	40,733
(Decrease) increase in deferred preneed cemetery receipts held in trust	-1,323	-8,969
Other	2,017	195
Net cash provided by operating activities	170,817	226,948
Net Cash Provided by (Used in) Operating Activities, Continuing Operations	171,817	226,568
Cash flows from investing activities:	'	'
Capital expenditures	-57,379	-50,762
Acquisitions	-7,575	-3,565
Proceeds from divestitures and sales of property and equipment, net	154,893	5,550
Other	-12,225	341
Net cash used in investing activities	77,353	-48,477
Net Cash Provided by (Used in) Investing Activities, Continuing Operations	77,714	-48,436
Cash Provided by (Used in) Investing Activities, Discontinued Operations	-361	-41
Cash flows from financing activities:	'	'
Proceeds from issuance of long-term debt	755,000	0
Debt Issuance Cost	-10,500	0
Payments of debt	-135,371	-3,951
Early Repayment of Senior Debt	-762,782	0
Principal payments on capital leases	-14,491	-12,967
Proceeds from exercise of stock options	14,791	4,856
Excess tax benefits from share based awards	12,521	5,558
Purchase of Company common stock	-60,425	-1,708
Payments of dividends	-34,024	-27,553
Purchase of noncontrolling interest	-15,000	-8,333
Bank overdrafts and other	115	-3,681
Net cash used in financing activities	-250,166	-48,523
Cash Provided by (Used in) Financing Activities, Discontinued Operations	0	-744
Net Cash Provided by (Used in) Financing Activities, Continuing Operations	-250,166	-47,779
Change in cash from discontinued operations	1,323	405
Effect of foreign currency on cash and cash equivalents	-392	-1,512
Net decrease in cash and cash equivalents	-1,065	128,841
Cash and cash equivalents at beginning of period	141,580	88,769
Cash and cash equivalents at end of period	$140,515	$217,610

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 (Loss)	Noncontrolling Interest
In Thousands, except Share data, 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	75,888	0	0	0	91,236	-17,260	1,912
Dividends declared on common stock	-27,553	0	0	-27,553	0	0	0
Employee share-based compensation earned	5,850	0	0	5,850	0	0	0
Stock option exercises	4,999	555	0	4,444	0	0	0
Restricted stock awards, net of forfeitures	0	378	-3	-375	0	0	0
Purchase of Company common stock	-1,851	0	-117	-717	-1,017	0	0
Cancellation of Company Stock	0	-8,000	8,000	0	0	0	0
Tax Benefits Related to Share-Based Awards	5,558	0	0	5,558	0	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	1,376	82	0	1,294	0	0	0
Balance at end of period at Jun. 30, 2013	1,417,861	212,064	-122	1,293,863	-196,576	94,457	14,175
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	75,500	0	0	0	67,024	2,318	6,158
Dividends declared on common stock	-34,024	0	0	-34,024	0	0	0
Employee share-based compensation earned	6,423	0	0	6,423	0	0	0
Stock option exercises	15,552	1,605	0	13,947	0	0	0
Restricted stock awards, net of forfeitures	0	345	0	-345	0	0	0
Purchase of Company common stock	61,186	0	3,185	18,669	39,332	0	0
Cancellation of Company Stock	0	-42,000	42,000	0	0	0	0
Tax Benefits Related to Share-Based Awards	12,521	'	0	12,521	0	0	0
Purchase of noncontrolling interest	-15,000	0	0	7,441	0	0	7,559
Noncontrolling interest payment	-134	0	0	0	0	0	-134
Other	1,565	93	0	1,472	0	0	0
Balance at end of period at Jun. 30, 2014	$1,425,595	$214,328	($3,153)	$1,233,232	($118,184)	$90,759	$8,613

Unaudited_Condensed_Consolidat6

Unaudited Condensed Consolidated Statement of Equity (Parenthetical) (USD $)	3 Months Ended		6 Months Ended
	Jun. 30, 2014	Jun. 30, 2013	Jun. 30, 2014	Jun. 30, 2013
Dividends declared per share	$0.08	$0.07	$0.16	$0.13

Nature_of_Operations_Notes

Nature of Operations (Notes)	6 Months Ended
	Jun. 30, 2014
Nature of Operations [Abstract]	'
Nature of Operations	'
	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)	6 Months Ended
	Jun. 30, 2014
Summary of Significant Accounting Policies [Abstract]	'
Significant Accounting Policies	'
	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. On July 8, 2014, we sold our operations in Germany. As such, we have reclassified the assets and results of operations of these businesses to discontinued operations in all periods presented.
	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)	6 Months Ended
	Jun. 30, 2014
Recently Issued Accounting Standards [Abstract]	'
New Accounting Pronouncements and Changes in Accounting Principles	'
	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.
	Revenue Recognition
	In May 2014, the FASB issued Accounting Standards Update (“ASU”) No. 2014-09, “Revenue from Contracts with Customers” (Topic 606), which supersedes the revenue recognition requirements in ASC Topic 605, “Revenue Recognition”, and most industry-specific guidance. This ASU is based on the principle that revenue is recognized to depict the transfer of goods or services to customers in an amount that reflects the consideration to which the entity expects to be entitled in exchange for those goods or services.  The ASU also requires additional disclosure about the nature, amount, timing and uncertainty of revenue and cash flows arising from customer contracts, including significant judgments and changes in judgments and assets recognized from costs incurred to obtain or fulfill a contract.  The amendments in the ASU will be applied using one of two retrospective methods. The new guidance is effective for us beginning January 1, 2017 and we are still evaluating the impact of adoption on our consolidated results of operations.

Preneed_Funeral_Activities_Not

Preneed Funeral Activities (Notes) (Funeral)	6 Months Ended
	Jun. 30, 2014
Funeral	'
Preneed Funeral Activities	'
	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								Six Months Ended
		June 30,								June 30,
		2014				2013				2014				2013
		(In thousands)
	Deposits	$	24,949			$	21,416			$	52,872			$	43,615
	Withdrawals	31,955				35,544				75,692				68,249
	Purchases of available-for-sale securities	79,305				116,847				140,790				177,826
	Sales of available-for-sale securities	107,199				149,946				171,250				246,650
	Realized gains from sales of available-for-sale securities	15,911				17,330				32,012				28,701
	Realized losses from sales of available-for-sale securities	(2,665		)		(4,445		)		(4,139		)		(6,166		)
	The components of Preneed funeral receivables, net and trust investments in our unaudited condensed consolidated balance sheet at June 30, 2014 and December 31, 2013 are as follows:
		June 30, 2014				December 31, 2013
		(In thousands)
	Trust investments, at fair value	$	1,390,801			$	1,422,942
	Cash and cash equivalents	163,170				128,216
	Assets associated with businesses held for sale	(155,114		)		(184,854		)
	Insurance-backed fixed income securities	279,349				280,969
	Trust investments	1,678,206				1,647,273
	Receivables from customers	256,575				259,793
	Unearned finance charge	(10,384		)		(10,094		)
		1,924,397				1,896,972
	Allowance for cancellation	(43,930		)		(45,339		)
	Preneed funeral receivables, net and trust investments	$	1,880,467			$	1,851,633
	Our funeral merchandise and service trust investments are recorded at fair value. The costs and fair values at June 30, 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).
		30-Jun-14
		Fair Value Hierarchy Level		Cost				Unrealized				Unrealized				Fair
								Gains				Losses				Value
								(In thousands)
	Fixed income securities:
	U.S. Treasury	2		$	107,491			$	1,996			$	(3,517	)		$	105,970
	Canadian government	2		99,308				217				(963		)		98,562
	Corporate	2		47,997				3,617				(374		)		51,240
	Residential mortgage-backed	2		1,610				28				(21		)		1,617
	Asset-backed	2		2,733				50				(1		)		2,782
	Equity securities:
	Preferred stock	2		20,045				1,959				(30		)		21,974
	Common stock:
	United States	1		324,908				74,621				(6,053		)		393,476
	Canada	1		23,088				5,686				(810		)		27,964
	Other international	1		29,487				5,825				(391		)		34,921
	Mutual funds:
	Equity	1		292,246				31,697				(1,230		)		322,713
	Fixed income	1		302,917				8,555				(13,698		)		297,774
	Private equity	3		30,640				3,619				(6,920		)		27,339
	Other	3		4,070				399				—				4,469
	Trust investments			$	1,286,540			$	138,269			$	(34,008	)		$	1,390,801
		31-Dec-13
		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 discount rates 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 the Investment Committee of the Board of Directors 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 June 30, 2014, our unfunded commitment for our private equity and other investments was $6.4 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, due to the nature of the investments in this category 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:
	Three Months Ended
	June 30, 2014								June 30, 2013
	Private Equity				Other				Private Equity				Other
	(in thousands)
Fair value, beginning balance	$	27,514			$	3,839			$	25,731			$	1,252
Net unrealized gains (losses) included in Accumulated other comprehensive income(1)	(1,165		)		820				1,761				361
Net realized losses included in Other income (expense), net(2)	(6		)		(1		)		(6		)		(1		)
Purchases	1,068				—				—				—
Contributions	490				—				1,565				—
Distributions	(562		)		(189		)		(2,718		)		(155		)
Fair value, ending balance	$	27,339			$	4,469			$	26,333			$	1,457
	Six Months Ended
	June 30, 2014								June 30, 2013
	Private Equity				Other				Private Equity				Other
	(in thousands)
Fair value, beginning balance	$	26,885			$	1,803			$	17,879			$	744
Net unrealized gains included in Accumulated other comprehensive income(1)	(1,635		)		2,856				12,611				870
Net realized losses included in Other income (expense), net(2)	(14		)		(1		)		(11		)		(2		)
Purchases	2,955				—				—				—
Contributions	957				—				2,202				—
Distributions	(1,809		)		(189		)		(6,348		)		(155		)
Fair value, ending balance	$	27,339			$	4,469			$	26,333			$	1,457
-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 June 30, 2014 are estimated as follows:
	Fair Value
	(In thousands)
Due in one year or less	$	132,052
Due in one to five years	55,053
Due in five to ten years	42,680
Thereafter	30,386
	$	260,171
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 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 in the period in which they are earned. Recognized trust fund income (realized and unrealized) related to these trust investments were $17.1 million and $12.0 million for the three months ended June 30, 2014 and 2013, respectively. Recognized trust fund income (realized and unrealized) related to these trust investments were $32.5 million and $24.3 million for the six months ended June 30, 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 June 30, 2014 and 2013, we recorded a $0.1 million and a $0.4 million impairment charge, respectively, for other-than-temporary declines in fair value related to unrealized losses on certain investments. For the six months ended June 30, 2014 and 2013, we recorded a $0.4 million and a $0.6 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 June 30, 2014 and December 31, 2013, respectively, are shown in the following tables:
	June 30, 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	$	7,752			$	(283	)		$	38,290			$	(3,234	)		$	46,042	$	(3,517	)
Canadian government	5,045				(19		)		19,903				(944		)		24,948		(963		)
Corporate	9,106				(253		)		2,853				(121		)		11,959		(374		)
Residential mortgage-backed	168				(5		)		401				(16		)		569		(21		)
Asset-backed	464				(1		)		—				—				464		(1		)
Equity securities:
Preferred stock	903				(30		)		—				—				903		(30		)
Common stock:
United States	74,480				(5,480		)		2,935				(573		)		77,415		(6,053		)
Canada	1,763				(126		)		1,958				(684		)		3,721		(810		)
Other international	3,311				(339		)		538				(52		)		3,849		(391		)
Mutual funds:
Equity	15,493				(179		)		9,525				(1,051		)		25,018		(1,230		)
Fixed income	19,286				(268		)		77,428				(13,430		)		96,714		(13,698		)
Private equity	—				—				12,440				(6,920		)		12,440		(6,920		)
Total temporarily impaired securities	$	137,771			$	(6,983	)		$	166,271			$	(27,025	)		$	304,042	$	(34,008	)
	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)	6 Months Ended
	Jun. 30, 2014
Cemetery	'
Preneed Cemetery Activities	'
	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								Six Months Ended
		June 30,								June 30,
		2014				2013				2014				2013
		(In thousands)
	Deposits	$	33,132			$	28,344			$	61,403			$	53,612
	Withdrawals	28,221				33,458				62,569				63,339
	Purchases of available-for-sale securities	111,565				190,675				210,323				296,397
	Sales of available-for-sale securities	103,530				208,589				195,847				334,332
	Realized gains from sales of available-for-sale securities	20,655				29,743				46,187				46,319
	Realized losses from sales of available-for-sale securities	(3,826		)		(6,885		)		(6,125		)		(9,055		)
	The components of Preneed cemetery receivables, net and trust investments in our unaudited condensed consolidated balance sheet at June 30, 2014 and December 31, 2013 are as follows:
		June 30, 2014				December 31, 2013
		(In thousands)
	Trust investments, at fair value	$	1,603,107			$	1,553,719
	Cash and cash equivalents	135,185				138,459
	Assets associated with businesses held for sale	(81,479		)		(106,815		)
	Insurance-backed fixed income securities	4				4
	Trust investments	1,656,817				1,585,367
	Receivables from customers	845,040				798,420
	Unearned finance charges	(32,242		)		(30,042		)
		2,469,615				2,353,745
	Allowance for cancellation	(64,933		)		(55,922		)
	Preneed cemetery receivables, net and trust investments	$	2,404,682			$	2,297,823
	Our cemetery merchandise and service trust investments are recorded at fair value. The costs and fair values at June 30, 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.
		30-Jun-14
		Fair Value Hierarchy Level		Cost				Unrealized				Unrealized				Fair
								Gains				Losses				Value
								(In thousands)
	Fixed income securities:
	U.S. Treasury	2		$	113,114			$	2,775			$	(5,321	)		$	110,568
	Canadian government	2		18,414				204				(130		)		18,488
	Corporate	2		45,719				6,093				(496		)		51,316
	Residential mortgage-backed	2		141				3				(2		)		142
	Asset-backed	2		2,723				69				—				2,792
	Equity securities:
	Preferred stock	2		9,431				1,095				(31		)		10,495
	Common stock:
	United States	1		412,294				136,316				(6,014		)		542,596
	Canada	1		13,280				4,868				(656		)		17,492
	Other international	1		34,457				10,020				(528		)		43,949
	Mutual funds:
	Equity	1		383,466				61,948				(1,022		)		444,392
	Fixed income	1		346,723				9,731				(24,212		)		332,242
	Private equity	3		26,640				4,827				(3,910		)		27,557
	Other	3		777				301				—				1,078
	Trust investments			$	1,407,179			$	238,250			$	(42,322	)		$	1,603,107
		31-Dec-13
		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 the investment committee of the Board of Directors 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 June 30, 2014, our unfunded commitment for our private equity and other investments was $6.8 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, due to the nature of the investments in this category 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:
	Three Months Ended
	30-Jun-14								30-Jun-13
	Private Equity				Other				Private Equity				Other
	(in thousands)
Fair value, beginning balance	$	27,519			$	1,253			$	25,957			$	1,035
Net unrealized gains included in Accumulated other comprehensive income(1)	123				28				1,830				389
Net realized losses included in Other income (expense), net(2)	(7		)		—				(6		)		(1		)
Contributions	526				—				1,673				—
Distributions and other	(604		)		(203		)		(2,827		)		(165		)
Fair value, ending balance	$	27,557			$	1,078			$	26,627			$	1,258
	Six Months Ended
	30-Jun-14								30-Jun-13
	Private Equity				Other				Private Equity				Other
	(in thousands)
Fair value, beginning balance	$	26,844			$	1,245			$	17,687			$	450
Net unrealized gains included in Accumulated other comprehensive income(1)	1,610				37				13,230				976
Net realized losses included in Other income (expense), net(2)	(15		)		(1		)		(13		)		(3		)
Contributions	1,025				—				2,335				—
Distributions and other	(1,907		)		(203		)		(6,612		)		(165		)
Fair value, ending balance	$	27,557			$	1,078			$	26,627			$	1,258
-1	All unrealized gains 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 June 30, 2014 are estimated as follows:
	Fair Value
	(In thousands)
Due in one year or less	$	11,669
Due in one to five years	81,495
Due in five to ten years	40,319
Thereafter	49,823
	$	183,306
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 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 in the period in which they are earned. Recognized trust fund income (realized and unrealized) related to these trust investments were $12.4 million and $9.7 million for the three months ended June 30, 2014 and 2013, respectively. Recognized trust fund income (realized and unrealized) related to these trust investments were $24.0 million and $18.9 million for the six months ended June 30, 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 June 30, 2014 and 2013, we recorded a $0.2 million and a $0.9 million impairment charge, respectively, for other-than-temporary declines in fair value related to unrealized losses on certain investments. For the six months ended June 30, 2014 and 2013, we recorded a $0.5 million and a $1.3 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 June 30, 2014 are shown in the following tables:
	June 30, 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	$	10,545			$	(297	)		$	56,621			$	(5,024	)		$	67,166	$	(5,321	)
Canadian government	9,798				(59		)		2,688				(71		)		12,486		(130		)
Corporate	10,069				(316		)		3,532				(180		)		13,601		(496		)
Residential mortgage-backed	16				—				46				(2		)		62		(2		)
Equity securities:
Preferred stock	1,469				(31		)		—				—				1,469		(31		)
Common stock:
United States	69,634				(5,750		)		4,315				(264		)		73,949		(6,014		)
Canada	940				(79		)		2,146				(577		)		3,086		(656		)
Other international	5,763				(493		)		765				(35		)		6,528		(528		)
Mutual funds:
Equity	15,779				(109		)		14,532				(913		)		30,311		(1,022		)
Fixed income	15,194				(189		)		125,779				(24,023		)		140,973		(24,212		)
Private equity	—				—				5,257				(3,910		)		5,257		(3,910		)
Total temporarily impaired securities	$	139,207			$	(7,323	)		$	215,681			$	(34,999	)		$	354,888	$	(42,322	)
	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)	6 Months Ended
	Jun. 30, 2014
Cemetery Perpetual Care	'
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								Six Months Ended
		June 30,								June 30,
		2014				2013				2014				2013
		(In thousands)
	Deposits	$	8,400			$	5,422			$	20,237			$	13,650
	Withdrawals	9,314				7,052				15,199				16,621
	Purchases of available-for-sale securities	24,927				55,395				63,822				90,447
	Sales of available-for-sale securities	49,001				29,261				79,073				56,751
	Realized gains from sales of available-for-sale securities	9,824				5,119				14,869				8,901
	Realized losses from sales of available-for-sale securities	(327		)		(440		)		(664		)		(762		)
	The components of Cemetery perpetual care trust investments in our unaudited condensed consolidated balance sheet at June 30, 2014 and December 31, 2013 are as follows:
		June 30, 2014				December 31, 2013
		(In thousands)
	Trust investments, at fair value	$	1,379,544			$	1,352,539
	Cash and cash equivalents	104,957				78,509
	Assets associated with businesses held for sale	(79,427		)		(86,726		)
	Cemetery perpetual care trust investments	$	1,405,074			$	1,344,322
	Our cemetery perpetual care trust investments are recorded at fair value. The cost and fair values at June 30, 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.
		30-Jun-14
		Fair Value Hierarchy Level		Cost				Unrealized				Unrealized				Fair
								Gains				Losses				Value
								(In thousands)
	Fixed income securities:
	U.S. Treasury	2		$	1,260			$	22			$	(10	)		$	1,272
	Canadian government	2		30,104				359				(230		)		30,233
	Corporate	2		24,351				498				(344		)		24,505
	Residential mortgage-backed	2		1,335				23				(10		)		1,348
	Asset-backed	2		1,988				64				(5		)		2,047
	Equity securities:
	Preferred stock	2		9,416				647				(2		)		10,061
	Common stock:
	United States	1		198,797				57,359				(1,027		)		255,129
	Canada	1		7,166				2,724				(418		)		9,472
	Other international	1		13,031				2,173				(78		)		15,126
	Mutual funds:
	Equity	1		57,472				6,980				(381		)		64,071
	Fixed income	1		877,712				55,818				(510		)		933,020
	Private equity	3		23,591				2,177				(4,494		)		21,274
	Other	3		9,651				2,344				(9		)		11,986
	Cemetery perpetual care trust investments			$	1,255,874			$	131,188			$	(7,518	)		$	1,379,544
		31-Dec-13
		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 the investment committee of the Board of Directors 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.
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, due to the nature of the investments in this category 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:
	Three Months Ended
	30-Jun-14								30-Jun-13
	Private Equity				Other				Private Equity				Other
	(in thousands)
Fair value, beginning balance	$	20,806			$	11,712			$	16,454			$	10,342
Net unrealized gains (losses) included in Accumulated other comprehensive income(1)	570				553				20				705
Net realized losses included in Other income (expense), net(2)	(12		)		(6		)		(13		)		(7		)
Contributions	709				—				2,316				—
Distributions and other	(799		)		(273		)		(128		)		(225		)
Fair value, ending balance	$	21,274			$	11,986			$	18,649			$	10,815
	Six Months Ended
	30-Jun-14								30-Jun-13
	Private Equity				Other				Private Equity				Other
	(in thousands)
Fair market value, beginning balance	$	19,779			$	11,590			$	11,122			$	7,659
Net unrealized gains (losses) included in Accumulated other comprehensive income(1)	1,297				681				6,089				3,434
Net realized losses included in Other income (expense), net(2)	(24		)		(12		)		(95		)		(53		)
Sales	(17		)		—				—				—
Contributions	1,403				—				2,317				—
Distributions and other	(1,164		)		(273		)		(784		)		(225		)
Fair market value, ending balance	$	21,274			$	11,986			$	18,649			$	10,815
-1	All unrealized gains (losses) 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 gains (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 June 30, 2014 are estimated as follows:
	Fair Value
	(In thousands)
Due in one year or less	$	17,799
Due in one to five years	28,710
Due in five to ten years	11,753
Thereafter	1,143
	$	59,405
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. Recognized trust fund income related to these trust investments were $15.1 million and $11.7 million for the three months ended June 30, 2014 and 2013, respectively. Recognized trust fund income related to these trust investments were $29.0 million and $21.7 million for the six months ended June 30, 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 June 30, 2013, we recorded a $0.1 million impairment charge, for other-than-temporary declines in fair value related to unrealized losses on certain investments. For the six months ended June 30, 2013, we recorded a $0.2 million impairment charge, for other-than-temporary declines in fair value related to unrealized losses on certain investments. We recorded an impairment charge for the three and six months ended June 30, 2014, of less than $0.1 million in both periods.
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.
	June 30, 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	$	855			$	(9	)		$	8			$	(1	)		$	863	$	(10	)
Canadian government	15,559				(105		)		4,400				(125		)		19,959		(230		)
Corporate	7,226				(99		)		4,981				(245		)		12,207		(344		)
Residential mortgage-backed	86				(2		)		251				(8		)		337		(10		)
Asset-backed	405				(5		)		32				—				437		(5		)
Equity securities:
Preferred stock	—				—				50				(2		)		50		(2		)
Common stock:
United States	13,690				(542		)		4,910				(485		)		18,600		(1,027		)
Canada	145				(6		)		1,490				(412		)		1,635		(418		)
Other international	527				(11		)		451				(67		)		978		(78		)
Mutual funds:
Equity	28,576				(373		)		131				(8		)		28,707		(381		)
Fixed income	35,090				(143		)		28,926				(367		)		64,016		(510		)
Private equity	—				—				9,262				(4,494		)		9,262		(4,494		)
Other	12				(9		)		4,541				—				4,553		(9		)
Total temporarily impaired securities	$	102,171			$	(1,304	)		$	59,433			$	(6,214	)		$	161,604	$	(7,518	)
	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)	6 Months Ended
	Jun. 30, 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	'
	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 June 30, 2014 and December 31, 2013 are detailed below.
		June 30, 2014									December 31, 2013
		Preneed			Preneed			Total			Preneed			Preneed			Total
		Funeral			Cemetery						Funeral			Cemetery
		(In thousands)
	Trust investments	$	1,678,206		$	1,656,817		$	3,335,023		$	1,647,273		$	1,585,367		$	3,232,640
	Accrued trust operating payables and other	(1,801		)	(2,262		)	(4,063		)	(1,108		)	(1,698		)	(2,806		)
	Deferred preneed funeral and cemetery receipts held in trust	$	1,676,405		$	1,654,555		$	3,330,960		$	1,646,165		$	1,583,669		$	3,229,834
	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 June 30, 2014 and December 31, 2013 are detailed below.
		June 30, 2014			December 31, 2013
		(In thousands)
	Cemetery perpetual care trust investments	$	1,405,074		$	1,344,322
	Accrued trust operating payables and other	(807		)	(1,748		)
	Care trusts’ corpus	$	1,404,267		$	1,342,574
	Other Income (Expense), Net
	The components of Other income (expense), net in our unaudited condensed consolidated statement of operations for the three and six months ended June 30, 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 June 30, 2014
		Funeral			Cemetery			Cemetery Perpetual			Other, Net			Total
		Trusts			Trusts			Care Trusts
					(In thousands)
	Realized gains	$	15,911		$	20,655		$	9,824		$	—		$	46,390
	Realized losses	(2,665		)	(3,826		)	(327		)	—			(6,818		)
	Impairment charges	(119		)	(179		)	(7		)	—			(305		)
	Interest, dividend, and other ordinary income	7,900			4,981			12,385			—			25,266
	Trust expenses and income taxes	(4,978		)	(4,377		)	(2,127		)	—			(11,482		)
	Net trust investment income	16,049			17,254			19,748			—			53,051
	Reclassification to deferred preneed funeral and cemetery receipts held in trust and care trusts’ corpus	(16,049		)	(17,254		)	(19,748		)	—			(53,051		)
	Other income (expense), net	—			—			—			50			50
	Total other income, net	$	—		$	—		$	—		$	50		$	50
		Six Months Ended June 30, 2014
		Funeral			Cemetery			Cemetery Perpetual			Other, Net			Total
		Trusts			Trusts			Care Trusts
					(In thousands)
	Realized gains	$	32,012		$	46,187		$	14,869		$	—		$	93,068
	Realized losses	(4,139		)	(6,125		)	(664		)	—			(10,928		)
	Impairment charges	(370		)	(518		)	(47		)	—			(935		)
	Interest, dividend, and other ordinary income	13,474			7,476			21,971			—			42,921
	Trust expenses and income taxes	(9,445		)	(9,192		)	(3,674		)	—			(22,311		)
	Net trust investment income	31,532			37,828			32,455			—			101,815
	Reclassification to deferred preneed funeral and cemetery receipts held in trust and care trusts’ corpus	(31,532		)	(37,828		)	(32,455		)	—			(101,815		)
	Other expense (expense), net	—			—			—			1,586			1,586
	Total other income, net	$	—		$	—		$	—		$	1,586		$	1,586
		Three Months Ended June 30, 2013
		Funeral			Cemetery			Cemetery Perpetual			Other, Net			Total
		Trusts			Trusts			Care Trusts
					(In thousands)
	Realized gains	$	17,330		$	29,743		$	5,119		$	—		$	52,192
	Realized losses	(4,445		)	(6,885		)	(440		)	—			(11,770		)
	Impairment charges	(446		)	(940		)	(126		)	—			(1,512		)
	Interest, dividend, and other ordinary income	14,206			8,915			7,784			—			30,905
	Trust expenses and income taxes	(2,657		)	(3,087		)	(1,009		)	—			(6,753		)
	Net trust investment income	23,988			27,746			11,328			—			63,062
	Reclassification to deferred preneed funeral and cemetery receipts held in trust and care trusts’ corpus	(23,988		)	(27,746		)	(11,328		)	—			(63,062		)
	Other income (expense), net	—			—			—			(695		)	(695		)
	Total other income (expense), net	$	—		$	—		$	—		$	(695	)	$	(695	)
		Six Months Ended June 30, 2013
		Funeral			Cemetery			Cemetery Perpetual			Other, Net			Total
		Trusts			Trusts			Care Trusts
				(In thousands)
Realized gains	$	28,701		$	46,319		$	8,901		$	—		$	83,921
Realized losses	(6,166		)	(9,055		)	(762		)	—			(15,983		)
Impairment charges	(646		)	(1,297		)	(189		)	—			(2,132		)
Interest, dividend, and other ordinary income	16,023			10,444			13,873			—			40,340
Trust expenses and income taxes	(5,038		)	(6,756		)	(1,584		)	—			(13,378		)
Net trust investment income	32,874			39,655			20,239			—			92,768
Reclassification to deferred preneed funeral and cemetery receipts held in trust and care trusts’ corpus	(32,874		)	(39,655		)	(20,239		)	—			(92,768		)
Other income (expense), net	—			—			—			(1,680		)	(1,680		)
Total other income (expense), net	$	—		$	—		$	—		$	(1,680	)	$	(1,680	)

Income_Taxes_Notes

Income Taxes (Notes)	6 Months Ended
	Jun. 30, 2014
Income Taxes [Abstract]	'
Income Tax Disclosure	'
	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 53.9% and 38.5% for the three months ended June 30, 2014 and 2013, respectively. Our effective tax rate was 45.1% and 38.0% for the six months ended June 30, 2014 and 2013, respectively. The higher effective tax rate for the six months ended June 30, 2014 is primarily due to the gain on required divestitures associated with the Stewart acquisition. The effective tax rate for the second quarter of 2014 is above the 35% federal statutory tax rate due to the gain on required divestitures associated with the Stewart acquisition coupled with state tax expense which is partially offset by state legislative changes and foreign earnings taxed at lower rates.
	Unrecognized Tax Benefits
	As of June 30, 2014, the gross amount of our unrecognized tax benefits was $135.4 million and the gross amount of our accrued interest was $46.1 million. Additional interest expense of $1.5 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)	6 Months Ended
	Jun. 30, 2014
Debt [Abstract]	'
Debt Disclosure	'
	Debt
	Debt as of June 30, 2014 and December 31, 2013 was as follows:
		June 30, 2014			December 31, 2013
		(In thousands)
	3.125% Senior Convertible Notes due July 2014	$	—		$	86,416
	6.75% Senior Notes due April 2015	—			136,465
	6.75% Senior Notes due April 2016	197,377			197,377
	3.375% Senior Convertible Notes due July 2016	134			45,119
	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
	7.0% Senior Notes due May 2019	—			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
	5.375% Senior Notes due May 2024	550,000			—
	7.5% Senior Notes due April 2027	200,000			200,000
	Term Loan due July 2018	465,000			600,000
	Bank credit facility due July 2018	235,000			30,000
	Obligations under capital leases	183,204			189,697
	Mortgage notes and other debt, maturities through 2050	4,302			4,752
	Unamortized (discounts) premiums and other, net	(3,214		)	42,084
	Total debt	3,151,803			3,301,910
	Less:
	Current maturities of debt, capital lease obligations, and mortgage notes	(102,065		)	(153,738		)
	Current maturities of unamortized discounts (premiums) and other, net	629			(22,624		)
	Total current maturities	(101,436		)	(176,362		)
	Total long-term debt	$	3,050,367		$	3,125,548
	Current maturities of debt at June 30, 2014 primarily comprise our capital leases and amounts due under our term loan. Our consolidated debt had a weighted average interest rate of 5.11% and 5.25% at June 30, 2014 and December 31, 2013, respectively. Approximately 72% and 76% of our total debt had a fixed interest rate at June 30, 2014 and December 31, 2013, respectively.
	Bank Credit Agreement
	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 June 30, 2014, we have $235.0 million outstanding borrowings under our bank credit facility and have issued $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 0.35% at June 30, 2014. As of June 30, 2014, we have $233.4 million in borrowing capacity under the bank credit facility.
	Debt Issuances and Additions
	In May 2014, we issued $550.0 million of unsecured 5.375% Senior Notes due May 2024. We used the net proceeds from this offering, along with a $95.0 million draw on our Bank Credit Facility, to repay our 6.75% Senior Notes due April 2015, 6.5% Senior Notes due April 2019, and 7.0% Senior Notes due May 2019 along with associated refinancing costs. The newly issued notes are subject to the provisions of the Company's Senior Indenture dated as of February 1, 1993, as amended, which includes covenants limiting, among other things, the creation of liens securing indebtedness and sale-leaseback transactions.
	Debt Extinguishments and Reductions
	During the first half of 2014, we made debt payments of $898.2 million for scheduled and early extinguishment payments as follows:
	•	$250.0 million in aggregate principal of our 7.0% Senior Notes due May 2019;
	•	$200.0 million in aggregate principal and $9.1 million in unamortized premiums of our 6.5% Senior Notes due April 2019;
	•	$136.5 million in aggregate principal of our 6.75% Senior Notes due April 2015;
	•	$135.0 million in aggregate principal of our Term Loan due July 2018;
	•	$86.4 million in aggregate principal and $21.7 million in unamortized premiums of our 3.125% Senior Convertible Notes due 2014;
	•	$45.0 million in aggregate principal and $14.2 million in unamortized premiums of our 3.375% Senior Convertible Notes due 2016; and
	•	$0.3 million in other debt.
	Subsequent to June 30, 2014, we made an additional debt payment of $13.0 million on our Term Loan due July 2018.
	Certain of the above transactions resulted in the recognition of a loss of $29.2 million recorded in (Losses) gains on early extinguishment of debt in our unaudited condensed consolidated statement of operations.
	During the first half of 2013, we paid an aggregate of $5.2 million to repay $4.8 million of 7.875% Debentures due February 2013 and $0.4 million to retire other debt resulting in the recognition of a gain of $0.5 million recorded in Losses (gains) on early extinguishment of debt in our unaudited condensed consolidated statement of operations.
	Capital Leases
	During the six months ended June 30, 2014 and 2013, we acquired $19.0 million and $28.5 million, respectively, of capital leases, primarily related to transportation equipment. We retired $14.5 million and $13.0 million of capital lease obligations for the six months ended June 30, 2014 and 2013, respectively.

Credit_Risk_and_Fair_Value_of_

Credit Risk and Fair Value of Financial Instruments (Notes)	6 Months Ended
	Jun. 30, 2014
Credit Risk and Fair Value of Financial Instruments [Abstract]	'
Credit Risk and Fair Value of Financial Instruments	'
	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 June 30, 2014 and December 31, 2013 was as follows:
		June 30, 2014		December 31, 2013
		(In thousands)
	3.125% Senior Convertible Notes due July 2014	$	—	$	106,939
	6.75% Senior Notes due April 2015	—		144,653
	6.75% Senior Notes due April 2016	213,651		214,904
	3.375% Senior Convertible Notes due July 2016	160		60,487
	7.0% Senior Notes due June 2017	332,244		333,259
	7.625% Senior Notes due October 2018	293,125		288,875
	6.5% Senior Notes due April 2019	—		210,000
	7.0% Senior Notes due May 2019	—		270,000
	4.5% Senior Notes due November 2020	206,000		192,610
	8.0% Senior Notes due November 2021	175,500		173,625
	5.375% Senior Notes due January 2022	443,063		431,588
	5.375% Senior Notes due May 2024	568,563		—
	7.5% Senior Notes due April 2027	217,500		215,750
	Term Loan due July 2018	465,000		600,000
	Bank credit facility due July 2018	235,000		30,000
	Mortgage notes and other debt, maturities through 2050	4,302		4,752
	Total fair value of debt instruments	$	3,154,108	$	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)	6 Months Ended
	Jun. 30, 2014
Share-based Compensation [Abstract]	'
Disclosure of Compensation Related Costs, Share-based Payments	'
	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 six months ended June 30, 2014:
			Six Months Ended
	Assumptions		June 30, 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 six months ended June 30, 2014:
		Options			Weighted-Average
					Exercise Price
	Outstanding at December 31, 2013	13,319,750			$	9.84
	Granted	2,495,850			$	17.41
	Exercised	(1,731,275	)		$	9.67
	Canceled	(26,034	)		$	15.77
	Outstanding at June 30, 2014	14,058,291			$	11.19
	Exercisable at June 30, 2014	9,598,541			$	9.03
	As of June 30, 2014, the unrecognized compensation expense related to stock options of $12.7 million is expected to be recognized over a weighted average period of 1.5 years.
	Restricted Shares
	Restricted share activity for the six months ended June 30, 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 June 30, 2014	1,340,250			$	13.3
	As of June 30, 2014, the unrecognized compensation expense related to restricted shares of $9.4 million is expected to be recognized over a weighted average period of 1.5 years.

Equity_Notes

Equity (Notes)	6 Months Ended
	Jun. 30, 2014
Equity [Abstract]	'
Stockholders' Equity Note Disclosure	'
	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	2,318			—			2,318
	Increase in net unrealized gains associated with available-for-sale securities of the trusts, net of taxes	—			46,253			46,253
	Reclassification of net unrealized gains activity attributable to the Deferred preneed funeral and cemetery receipts held in trust and Care trusts’ corpus’, net of taxes	—			(46,253		)	(46,253		)
	Balance at June 30, 2014	$	90,759		$	—		$	90,759
	Balance at December 31, 2012	$	111,717		$	—		$	111,717
	Activity in 2013	(17,260		)	—			(17,260		)
	Increase in net unrealized gains associated with available-for-sale securities of the trusts, net of taxes	—			8,744			8,744
	Reclassification of net unrealized gain activity attributable to the Deferred preneed funeral and cemetery receipts held in trust and Care trusts’ corpus’, net of taxes	—			(8,744		)	(8,744		)
	Balance at June 30, 2013	$	94,457		$	—		$	94,457
	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 May 14, 2014, our Board of Directors approved a cash dividend of $.08 per common share. This dividend, totaling $16.9 million, was paid on June 30, 2014.
	Share Repurchase Program
	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 six months ended June 30, 2014, we repurchased 3,078,954 shares of common stock at an aggregate cost of $59.4 million, which is an average cost per share of $19.29. After these repurchases, the remaining dollar value of shares authorized to be purchased under our share repurchase program was approximately $130.8 million at June 30, 2014.

Segment_Reporting_Notes

Segment Reporting (Notes)	6 Months Ended
	Jun. 30, 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 the United States and Canada, in both of which we conduct both funeral and cemetery operations.
	Our reportable segment information is as follows:
		Funeral			Cemetery			Reportable
								Segments
		(In thousands)
	Three Months Ended June 30,
	Revenues from external customers:
	2014	$	479,531		$	267,215		$	746,746
	2013	$	414,545		$	209,686		$	624,231
	Gross profits:
	2014	$	97,908		$	57,956		$	155,864
	2013	$	80,259		$	45,724		$	125,983
	Six Months Ended June 30,
	Revenues from external customers:
	2014	$	988,585		$	503,670		$	1,492,255
	2013	$	874,630		$	400,019		$	1,274,649
	Gross profits:
	2014	$	217,155		$	104,949		$	322,104
	2013	$	200,060		$	85,250		$	285,310
	The following table reconciles gross profits from reportable segments to our consolidated income before income taxes:
		Three Months Ended						Six Months Ended
		June 30,						June 30,
		2014			2013			2014			2013
		(In thousands)
	Gross profits from reportable segments	$	155,864		$	125,983		$	322,104		$	285,310
	General and administrative expenses	(46,127		)	(31,379		)	(102,137		)	(62,302		)
	Gains (losses) on divestitures and impairment charges, net	34,994			(5,545		)	32,182			(6,514		)
	Operating income	144,731			89,059			252,149			216,494
	Interest expense	(46,307		)	(32,740		)	(91,303		)	(65,509		)
	(Losses) gains on early extinguishment of debt	(29,158		)	468			(29,158		)	468
	Other income (expense), net	50			(695		)	1,586			(1,680		)
	Income before income taxes	$	69,316		$	56,092		$	133,274		$	149,773
	Our geographic area information is as follows:
		United			Canada			Total
		States
					(In thousands)
	Three Months Ended June 30,
	Revenues from external customers:
	2014	$	695,899		$	50,847		$	746,746
	2013	$	570,344		$	53,887		$	624,231
	Six Months Ended June 30,
	Revenues from external customers:
	2014	$	1,390,282		$	101,973		$	1,492,255
	2013	$	1,165,781		$	108,868		$	1,274,649

Supplementary_Information_Note

Supplementary Information (Notes)	6 Months Ended
	Jun. 30, 2014
Supplementary Information [Abstract]	'
Additional Financial Information Disclosure [Text Block]	'
	Supplementary Information
	Revenues and Costs and Expenses
	The detail of certain income statement accounts as presented in the unaudited condensed consolidated statement of operations is as follows:
		Three Months Ended								Six Months Ended
		June 30,								June 30,
		2014				2013				2014		2013
		(In thousands)
	Property and merchandise revenues:
	Funeral	$	155,649			$	142,949			$	320,384	$	302,564
	Cemetery	188,970				150,003				344,362		279,479
	Total property and merchandise revenues	344,619				292,952				664,746		582,043
	Services revenues:
	Funeral	290,078				242,076				601,238		514,686
	Cemetery	71,249				53,217				142,632		107,785
	Total services revenues	361,327				295,293				743,870		622,471
	Other revenues	40,800				35,986				83,639		70,135
	Total revenues	$	746,746			$	624,231			$	1,492,255	$	1,274,649
	Property and merchandise costs and expenses:
	Funeral	$	73,295			$	65,611			$	155,249	$	140,819
	Cemetery	86,111				64,518				155,648		121,071
	Total cost of property and merchandise	159,406				130,129				310,897		261,890
	Services costs and expenses:
	Funeral	162,235				139,203				321,740		274,297
	Cemetery	39,023				26,220				76,061		52,551
	Total cost of services	201,258				165,423				397,801		326,848
	Overhead and other expense	230,218				202,696				461,453		400,601
	Total costs and expenses	$	590,882			$	498,248			$	1,170,151	$	989,339
	Non-Cash Investing Transactions
			Six Months Ended
			June 30,
			2014				2013
			(In thousands)
	Options exercised by attestation		$	761			$	143
	Shares repurchased		$	(761	)		$	(143	)

Commitments_and_Contingencies_

Commitments and Contingencies (Notes)	6 Months Ended
	Jun. 30, 2014
Commitments and Contingencies [Abstract]	'
Commitments and Contingencies Disclosure	'
	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 June 30, 2014 and December 31, 2013, we have self-insurance reserves of $75.3 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 lawsuit described below.
	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 certified claims under the lawsuit were released subject to final court approval of the settlement. The terms of the settlement call for the establishment of a settlement fund of $35.3 million, to which various SCI insurance carriers contributed $25.3 million and the Company contributed the balance. Other provisions call for, among other things, the Company to contribute up to $0.3 million toward claims administration costs and take certain actions in performing future burials. At a hearing conducted on May 15, 2014, the trial court approved the settlement, and this matter is closed.
	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, Helm and Samborsky 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.
	Charles Samborsky, et al, individually and on behalf of those persons similarly situated, v. SCI California Funeral Services, Inc., et al; Case No. BC544180; in the Superior Court of the State of California for the County of Los Angeles, Central District-Central Civil West Courthouse. This lawsuit was filed in April 2014 against an SCI subsidiary and purports to have been brought on behalf of employees who worked as family service counselors in California since April 2010. The plaintiffs allege causes of action for various violations of state laws regulating wage and hour pay. The plaintiffs seek unpaid wages, compensatory and punitive damages, attorneys’ fees and costs, interest and injunctive relief. We cannot quantify our ultimate liability, if any, in this lawsuit.
	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 filed exceptions to the plaintiffs’ complaint that were granted in June 2014. Thus, subject to appeals, SCI will no longer be a party to the suit. The case will continue against our subsidiary Stewart Enterprises and its former individual directors. 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)	6 Months Ended
	Jun. 30, 2014
Earnings Per Share [Abstract]	'
Earnings Per Share	'
	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				Six Months Ended
		June 30,				June 30,
		2014		2013		2014		2013
		(In thousands, except per
		share amounts)
	Amounts attributable to common stockholders:
	Net income:
	Net income — basic	$	25,922	$	33,615	$	67,024	$	91,236
	After tax interest on convertible debt	13		13		25		25
	Net income — diluted	$	25,935	$	33,628	$	67,049	$	91,261
	Weighted average shares (denominator):
	Weighted average shares — basic	212,390		211,821		212,613		211,602
	Stock options	3,478		4,004		3,859		3,880
	Convertible debt	121		121		121		121
	Weighted average shares — diluted	215,989		215,946		216,593		215,603
	Net income per share:
	Basic	$	0.12	$	0.16	$	0.32	$	0.43
	Diluted	$	0.12	$	0.16	$	0.31	$	0.42
	Discontinued operations have no impact on earnings per share, therefore net income from continuing operations attributable to common shareholders per share is the same as net income per share in the table above.
	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 June 30, 2014 and June 30, 2013, total options not currently included in the computation of dilutive EPS were 1.7 million and 2.1 million, respectively. For the six months ended June 30, 2014 and June 30, 2013, total options not currently included in the computation of dilutive EPS were 1.9 million and 1.6 million, respectively.

Acquisition_Notes

Acquisition (Notes)	6 Months Ended
	Jun. 30, 2014
Acquisition, textuals [Abstract]	'
Business Combination Disclosure	'
	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	$	11,521
	Other current assets	188,737
	Cemetery property	308,201
	Property and equipment, net	340,799
	Preneed funeral and cemetery receivables and trust investments	632,305
	Finite-lived intangible assets	77,134
	Indefinite-lived intangible assets	79,400
	Acquired assets held for sale	519,906
	Deferred charges and other assets	274,336
	Goodwill	559,754
	Total assets acquired	2,992,093
	Current liabilities	217,773
	Long-term debt	270,668
	Deferred preneed funeral and cemetery revenues and deferred receipts held in trusts	741,741
	Assumed liabilities held for sale	243,955
	Deferred income taxes	61,512
	Other liabilities	290,971
	Total liabilities assumed	1,826,620
	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. During the first half of 2014, we made the following adjustments to our estimates of the fair value of assets and liabilities 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 accounts receivable and other current assets	$	(12,279	)
	Increase in the fair value of cemetery property	23,426
	Decrease in the fair value of preneed funeral and cemetery receivables and trust investments	(22,705		)
	Decrease in the fair value of finite-lived intangible assets	(29,144		)
	Decrease in the fair value of deferred charges and other assets	(3,984		)
	Decrease in the fair value of deferred preneed funeral and cemetery revenues and deferred receipts held in trust	41,117
	Change in the fair value of acquired assets and liabilities held for sale	(4,660		)
	Decrease in the fair value of deferred income taxes	38,657
	Other	(11,604		)
	Total adjustment to goodwill	$	18,824
	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 $559.8 million in goodwill recognized, $251.9 million was allocated to our cemetery segment and $307.9 million was allocated to our funeral segment. As a result of the carryover of Stewart’s tax basis, $2.3 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 policies	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 and six months ended June 30, 2014 includes the results of operations of Stewart. For the three and six months ended June 30, 2013, the following unaudited pro forma information presents information as if the merger occurred on January 1, 2013:
			Three Months Ended			Six Months Ended
			June 30,			June 30,
			2013			2013
			(In thousands)
	Revenue		$	722,810		$	1,472,915
	Net income		$	44,713		$	108,932
	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)	6 Months Ended
	Jun. 30, 2014
Divestiture-Related Activities [Abstract]	'
Disposal Groups, Including Discontinued Operations, Disclosure	'
	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 Gains (losses) on divestitures and impairment charges, net, which consist of the following for the three and six months ended June 30:
		Three Months Ended							Six Months Ended
		30-Jun							30-Jun
		2014				2013			2014			2013
		(In thousands)
	Gains (losses) on divestitures, net	$	35,937			$	(3,710	)	$	37,864		$	(4,600	)
	Impairment losses	(943		)		(1,835		)	(5,682		)	$	(1,914	)
		$	34,994			$	(5,545	)	$	32,182		$	(6,514	)
	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 June 30, 2014 and December 31, 2013 were as follows:
		30-Jun			31-Dec
		2014			2013
		(In thousands)
	Current assets	$	3,043		$	4,569
	Preneed funeral and cemetery receivables and trust investments	297,075			363,480
	Cemetery property	64,967			83,115
	Property and equipment, net	47,632			63,356
	Goodwill	139,145			193,545
	Deferred charges and other assets	16,160			32,989
	Cemetery perpetual care trust investments	79,427			86,726
	Total assets	$	647,449		$	827,780
	Accounts payable and accrued liabilities	2,252			3,183
	Deferred preneed funeral and cemetery revenues and deferred receipts held in trusts	357,588			427,436
	Care trusts' corpus	78,976			86,726
	Other long term liabilities	3,444			4,209
	Total liabilities	442,260			521,554
	Net assets held for sale	$	205,189		$	306,226
	Discontinued Operations
	On July 8, 2014, we sold our operations in Germany for approximately $5.0 million and are presenting the assets and results of operations as discontinued operations. Assets of discontinued operations at June 30, 2014 and December 31, 2013 were as follows:
		30-Jun			31-Dec
		2014			2013
		(In thousands)
	Current assets	$	2,979		$	4,750
	Property and equipment, net	281			116
	Deferred charges and other assets	3,673			2,375
	Total assets	$	6,933		$	7,241
	Accounts payable and accrued liabilities	4,014			4,728
	Deferred preneed funeral revenues	1,360			938
	Other long term liabilities	30			30
	Total liabilities	5,404			5,696
	Net assets of discontinued operations	$	1,529		$	1,545

Summary_of_Significant_Account1

Summary of Significant Accounting Policies (Policies)	6 Months Ended
	Jun. 30, 2014
Summary of Significant Accounting Policies [Abstract]	'
Consolidation, Variable Interest Entity, Policy	'
	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	'
	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	'
	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	'
	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 discount rates 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 the Investment Committee of the Board of Directors 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 the investment committee of the Board of Directors 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 the investment committee of the Board of Directors 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	'
	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 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 in the period in which they are earned.
	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 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 in the period in which they are earned.
	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.
Marketable Securities, Available-for-sale Securities, Policy	'
	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.
Earnings Per Share, Policy	'
	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.
Segment Reporting, Policy	'
	Our operations are both product based and geographically based, and the reportable operating segments presented below include our funeral and cemetery operations.
Share-based Compensation, Option and Incentive Plans Policy	'
	We utilize the Black-Scholes option valuation model for estimating the fair value of our stock options.
Consolidation, Policy	'
	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	'
	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	'
	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.

Preneed_Funeral_Activities_Tab

Preneed Funeral Activities (Tables)	6 Months Ended
	Jun. 30, 2014
Preneed funeral receivables net and trust investments [Line Items]	'
Schedule of Unrealized Loss on Investments	'
	Our cemetery merchandise and service trust investment unrealized losses, their associated fair values and the duration of unrealized losses as of June 30, 2014 are shown in the following tables:
		June 30, 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	$	10,545			$	(297	)		$	56,621			$	(5,024	)		$	67,166	$	(5,321	)
	Canadian government	9,798				(59		)		2,688				(71		)		12,486		(130		)
	Corporate	10,069				(316		)		3,532				(180		)		13,601		(496		)
	Residential mortgage-backed	16				—				46				(2		)		62		(2		)
	Equity securities:
	Preferred stock	1,469				(31		)		—				—				1,469		(31		)
	Common stock:
	United States	69,634				(5,750		)		4,315				(264		)		73,949		(6,014		)
	Canada	940				(79		)		2,146				(577		)		3,086		(656		)
	Other international	5,763				(493		)		765				(35		)		6,528		(528		)
	Mutual funds:
	Equity	15,779				(109		)		14,532				(913		)		30,311		(1,022		)
	Fixed income	15,194				(189		)		125,779				(24,023		)		140,973		(24,212		)
	Private equity	—				—				5,257				(3,910		)		5,257		(3,910		)
	Total temporarily impaired securities	$	139,207			$	(7,323	)		$	215,681			$	(34,999	)		$	354,888	$	(42,322	)
		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.
		June 30, 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	$	855			$	(9	)		$	8			$	(1	)		$	863	$	(10	)
	Canadian government	15,559				(105		)		4,400				(125		)		19,959		(230		)
	Corporate	7,226				(99		)		4,981				(245		)		12,207		(344		)
	Residential mortgage-backed	86				(2		)		251				(8		)		337		(10		)
	Asset-backed	405				(5		)		32				—				437		(5		)
	Equity securities:
	Preferred stock	—				—				50				(2		)		50		(2		)
	Common stock:
United States	13,690				(542		)		4,910				(485		)		18,600		(1,027		)
Canada	145				(6		)		1,490				(412		)		1,635		(418		)
Other international	527				(11		)		451				(67		)		978		(78		)
Mutual funds:
Equity	28,576				(373		)		131				(8		)		28,707		(381		)
Fixed income	35,090				(143		)		28,926				(367		)		64,016		(510		)
Private equity	—				—				9,262				(4,494		)		9,262		(4,494		)
Other	12				(9		)		4,541				—				4,553		(9		)
Total temporarily impaired securities	$	102,171			$	(1,304	)		$	59,433			$	(6,214	)		$	161,604	$	(7,518	)
	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	'
Preneed funeral receivables net and trust investments [Line Items]	'
Investment related activities	'
	The table below sets forth certain investment-related activities associated with our preneed funeral merchandise and service trusts:
		Three Months Ended								Six Months Ended
		June 30,								June 30,
		2014				2013				2014				2013
		(In thousands)
	Deposits	$	24,949			$	21,416			$	52,872			$	43,615
	Withdrawals	31,955				35,544				75,692				68,249
	Purchases of available-for-sale securities	79,305				116,847				140,790				177,826
	Sales of available-for-sale securities	107,199				149,946				171,250				246,650
	Realized gains from sales of available-for-sale securities	15,911				17,330				32,012				28,701
	Realized losses from sales of available-for-sale securities	(2,665		)		(4,445		)		(4,139		)		(6,166		)
Long-term receivable and investment components	'
	The components of Preneed funeral receivables, net and trust investments in our unaudited condensed consolidated balance sheet at June 30, 2014 and December 31, 2013 are as follows:
		June 30, 2014				December 31, 2013
		(In thousands)
	Trust investments, at fair value	$	1,390,801			$	1,422,942
	Cash and cash equivalents	163,170				128,216
	Assets associated with businesses held for sale	(155,114		)		(184,854		)
	Insurance-backed fixed income securities	279,349				280,969
	Trust investments	1,678,206				1,647,273
	Receivables from customers	256,575				259,793
	Unearned finance charge	(10,384		)		(10,094		)
		1,924,397				1,896,972
	Allowance for cancellation	(43,930		)		(45,339		)
	Preneed funeral receivables, net and trust investments	$	1,880,467			$	1,851,633
Schedule of Available-for-sale Securities Reconciliation	'
	Our funeral merchandise and service trust investments are recorded at fair value. The costs and fair values at June 30, 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).
		30-Jun-14
		Fair Value Hierarchy Level		Cost				Unrealized				Unrealized				Fair
								Gains				Losses				Value
								(In thousands)
	Fixed income securities:
	U.S. Treasury	2		$	107,491			$	1,996			$	(3,517	)		$	105,970
	Canadian government	2		99,308				217				(963		)		98,562
	Corporate	2		47,997				3,617				(374		)		51,240
	Residential mortgage-backed	2		1,610				28				(21		)		1,617
	Asset-backed	2		2,733				50				(1		)		2,782
	Equity securities:
	Preferred stock	2		20,045				1,959				(30		)		21,974
	Common stock:
	United States	1		324,908				74,621				(6,053		)		393,476
	Canada	1		23,088				5,686				(810		)		27,964
	Other international	1		29,487				5,825				(391		)		34,921
	Mutual funds:
	Equity	1		292,246				31,697				(1,230		)		322,713
	Fixed income	1		302,917				8,555				(13,698		)		297,774
	Private equity	3		30,640				3,619				(6,920		)		27,339
	Other	3		4,070				399				—				4,469
	Trust investments			$	1,286,540			$	138,269			$	(34,008	)		$	1,390,801
		31-Dec-13
		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	'
	The change in our market-based funeral merchandise and service trust investments with significant unobservable inputs (Level 3) is as follows:
		Three Months Ended
		June 30, 2014								June 30, 2013
		Private Equity				Other				Private Equity				Other
		(in thousands)
	Fair value, beginning balance	$	27,514			$	3,839			$	25,731			$	1,252
	Net unrealized gains (losses) included in Accumulated other comprehensive income(1)	(1,165		)		820				1,761				361
	Net realized losses included in Other income (expense), net(2)	(6		)		(1		)		(6		)		(1		)
	Purchases	1,068				—				—				—
	Contributions	490				—				1,565				—
	Distributions	(562		)		(189		)		(2,718		)		(155		)
	Fair value, ending balance	$	27,339			$	4,469			$	26,333			$	1,457
		Six Months Ended
		June 30, 2014								June 30, 2013
		Private Equity				Other				Private Equity				Other
		(in thousands)
	Fair value, beginning balance	$	26,885			$	1,803			$	17,879			$	744
	Net unrealized gains included in Accumulated other comprehensive income(1)	(1,635		)		2,856				12,611				870
	Net realized losses included in Other income (expense), net(2)	(14		)		(1		)		(11		)		(2		)
	Purchases	2,955				—				—				—
	Contributions	957				—				2,202				—
	Distributions	(1,809		)		(189		)		(6,348		)		(155		)
	Fair value, ending balance	$	27,339			$	4,469			$	26,333			$	1,457
Investments Classified by Contractual Maturity Date	'
	Maturity dates of our fixed income securities range from 2014 to 2043. Maturities of fixed income securities, excluding mutual funds, at June 30, 2014 are estimated as follows:
		Fair Value
		(In thousands)
	Due in one year or less	$	132,052
	Due in one to five years	55,053
	Due in five to ten years	42,680
	Thereafter	30,386
		$	260,171
Schedule of Unrealized Loss on Investments	'
	Our funeral merchandise and service trust investment unrealized losses, their associated fair values, and the duration of unrealized losses as of June 30, 2014 and December 31, 2013, respectively, are shown in the following tables:
		June 30, 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	$	7,752			$	(283	)		$	38,290			$	(3,234	)		$	46,042	$	(3,517	)
	Canadian government	5,045				(19		)		19,903				(944		)		24,948		(963		)
	Corporate	9,106				(253		)		2,853				(121		)		11,959		(374		)
	Residential mortgage-backed	168				(5		)		401				(16		)		569		(21		)
	Asset-backed	464				(1		)		—				—				464		(1		)
	Equity securities:
	Preferred stock	903				(30		)		—				—				903		(30		)
	Common stock:
	United States	74,480				(5,480		)		2,935				(573		)		77,415		(6,053		)
	Canada	1,763				(126		)		1,958				(684		)		3,721		(810		)
	Other international	3,311				(339		)		538				(52		)		3,849		(391		)
	Mutual funds:
	Equity	15,493				(179		)		9,525				(1,051		)		25,018		(1,230		)
	Fixed income	19,286				(268		)		77,428				(13,430		)		96,714		(13,698		)
	Private equity	—				—				12,440				(6,920		)		12,440		(6,920		)
	Total temporarily impaired securities	$	137,771			$	(6,983	)		$	166,271			$	(27,025	)		$	304,042	$	(34,008	)
		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)	6 Months Ended
	Jun. 30, 2014
Preneed Cemetery Receivables, Net and Trust Investments [Line Items]	'
Schedule of Unrealized Loss on Investments	'
	Our cemetery merchandise and service trust investment unrealized losses, their associated fair values and the duration of unrealized losses as of June 30, 2014 are shown in the following tables:
		June 30, 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	$	10,545			$	(297	)		$	56,621			$	(5,024	)		$	67,166	$	(5,321	)
	Canadian government	9,798				(59		)		2,688				(71		)		12,486		(130		)
	Corporate	10,069				(316		)		3,532				(180		)		13,601		(496		)
	Residential mortgage-backed	16				—				46				(2		)		62		(2		)
	Equity securities:
	Preferred stock	1,469				(31		)		—				—				1,469		(31		)
	Common stock:
	United States	69,634				(5,750		)		4,315				(264		)		73,949		(6,014		)
	Canada	940				(79		)		2,146				(577		)		3,086		(656		)
	Other international	5,763				(493		)		765				(35		)		6,528		(528		)
	Mutual funds:
	Equity	15,779				(109		)		14,532				(913		)		30,311		(1,022		)
	Fixed income	15,194				(189		)		125,779				(24,023		)		140,973		(24,212		)
	Private equity	—				—				5,257				(3,910		)		5,257		(3,910		)
	Total temporarily impaired securities	$	139,207			$	(7,323	)		$	215,681			$	(34,999	)		$	354,888	$	(42,322	)
		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.
		June 30, 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	$	855			$	(9	)		$	8			$	(1	)		$	863	$	(10	)
	Canadian government	15,559				(105		)		4,400				(125		)		19,959		(230		)
	Corporate	7,226				(99		)		4,981				(245		)		12,207		(344		)
	Residential mortgage-backed	86				(2		)		251				(8		)		337		(10		)
	Asset-backed	405				(5		)		32				—				437		(5		)
	Equity securities:
	Preferred stock	—				—				50				(2		)		50		(2		)
	Common stock:
United States	13,690				(542		)		4,910				(485		)		18,600		(1,027		)
Canada	145				(6		)		1,490				(412		)		1,635		(418		)
Other international	527				(11		)		451				(67		)		978		(78		)
Mutual funds:
Equity	28,576				(373		)		131				(8		)		28,707		(381		)
Fixed income	35,090				(143		)		28,926				(367		)		64,016		(510		)
Private equity	—				—				9,262				(4,494		)		9,262		(4,494		)
Other	12				(9		)		4,541				—				4,553		(9		)
Total temporarily impaired securities	$	102,171			$	(1,304	)		$	59,433			$	(6,214	)		$	161,604	$	(7,518	)
	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	'
Preneed Cemetery Receivables, Net and Trust Investments [Line Items]	'
Investment related activities	'
	The table below sets forth certain investment-related activities associated with our preneed cemetery merchandise and service trusts:
		Three Months Ended								Six Months Ended
		June 30,								June 30,
		2014				2013				2014				2013
		(In thousands)
	Deposits	$	33,132			$	28,344			$	61,403			$	53,612
	Withdrawals	28,221				33,458				62,569				63,339
	Purchases of available-for-sale securities	111,565				190,675				210,323				296,397
	Sales of available-for-sale securities	103,530				208,589				195,847				334,332
	Realized gains from sales of available-for-sale securities	20,655				29,743				46,187				46,319
	Realized losses from sales of available-for-sale securities	(3,826		)		(6,885		)		(6,125		)		(9,055		)
Long-term receivable and investment components	'
	The components of Preneed cemetery receivables, net and trust investments in our unaudited condensed consolidated balance sheet at June 30, 2014 and December 31, 2013 are as follows:
		June 30, 2014				December 31, 2013
		(In thousands)
	Trust investments, at fair value	$	1,603,107			$	1,553,719
	Cash and cash equivalents	135,185				138,459
	Assets associated with businesses held for sale	(81,479		)		(106,815		)
	Insurance-backed fixed income securities	4				4
	Trust investments	1,656,817				1,585,367
	Receivables from customers	845,040				798,420
	Unearned finance charges	(32,242		)		(30,042		)
		2,469,615				2,353,745
	Allowance for cancellation	(64,933		)		(55,922		)
	Preneed cemetery receivables, net and trust investments	$	2,404,682			$	2,297,823
Schedule of Available-for-sale Securities Reconciliation	'
		30-Jun-14
		Fair Value Hierarchy Level		Cost				Unrealized				Unrealized				Fair
								Gains				Losses				Value
								(In thousands)
	Fixed income securities:
	U.S. Treasury	2		$	113,114			$	2,775			$	(5,321	)		$	110,568
	Canadian government	2		18,414				204				(130		)		18,488
	Corporate	2		45,719				6,093				(496		)		51,316
	Residential mortgage-backed	2		141				3				(2		)		142
	Asset-backed	2		2,723				69				—				2,792
	Equity securities:
	Preferred stock	2		9,431				1,095				(31		)		10,495
	Common stock:
	United States	1		412,294				136,316				(6,014		)		542,596
	Canada	1		13,280				4,868				(656		)		17,492
	Other international	1		34,457				10,020				(528		)		43,949
	Mutual funds:
	Equity	1		383,466				61,948				(1,022		)		444,392
	Fixed income	1		346,723				9,731				(24,212		)		332,242
	Private equity	3		26,640				4,827				(3,910		)		27,557
	Other	3		777				301				—				1,078
	Trust investments			$	1,407,179			$	238,250			$	(42,322	)		$	1,603,107
		31-Dec-13
		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	'
	The change in our market-based cemetery merchandise and service trust investments with significant unobservable inputs (Level 3) is as follows:
		Three Months Ended
		30-Jun-14								30-Jun-13
		Private Equity				Other				Private Equity				Other
		(in thousands)
	Fair value, beginning balance	$	27,519			$	1,253			$	25,957			$	1,035
	Net unrealized gains included in Accumulated other comprehensive income(1)	123				28				1,830				389
	Net realized losses included in Other income (expense), net(2)	(7		)		—				(6		)		(1		)
	Contributions	526				—				1,673				—
	Distributions and other	(604		)		(203		)		(2,827		)		(165		)
	Fair value, ending balance	$	27,557			$	1,078			$	26,627			$	1,258
		Six Months Ended
		30-Jun-14								30-Jun-13
		Private Equity				Other				Private Equity				Other
		(in thousands)
	Fair value, beginning balance	$	26,844			$	1,245			$	17,687			$	450
	Net unrealized gains included in Accumulated other comprehensive income(1)	1,610				37				13,230				976
	Net realized losses included in Other income (expense), net(2)	(15		)		(1		)		(13		)		(3		)
	Contributions	1,025				—				2,335				—
	Distributions and other	(1,907		)		(203		)		(6,612		)		(165		)
	Fair value, ending balance	$	27,557			$	1,078			$	26,627			$	1,258
Investments Classified by Contractual Maturity Date	'
	Maturity dates of our fixed income securities range from 2014 to 2043. Maturities of fixed income securities, excluding mutual funds, at June 30, 2014 are estimated as follows:
		Fair Value
		(In thousands)
	Due in one year or less	$	11,669
	Due in one to five years	81,495
	Due in five to ten years	40,319
	Thereafter	49,823
		$	183,306

Cemetery_Perpetual_Care_Trusts1

Cemetery Perpetual Care Trusts (Tables)	6 Months Ended
	Jun. 30, 2014
Cemetery Perpetual Care Trust Investments [Line Items]	'
Schedule of Unrealized Loss on Investments	'
	Our cemetery merchandise and service trust investment unrealized losses, their associated fair values and the duration of unrealized losses as of June 30, 2014 are shown in the following tables:
		June 30, 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	$	10,545			$	(297	)		$	56,621			$	(5,024	)		$	67,166	$	(5,321	)
	Canadian government	9,798				(59		)		2,688				(71		)		12,486		(130		)
	Corporate	10,069				(316		)		3,532				(180		)		13,601		(496		)
	Residential mortgage-backed	16				—				46				(2		)		62		(2		)
	Equity securities:
	Preferred stock	1,469				(31		)		—				—				1,469		(31		)
	Common stock:
	United States	69,634				(5,750		)		4,315				(264		)		73,949		(6,014		)
	Canada	940				(79		)		2,146				(577		)		3,086		(656		)
	Other international	5,763				(493		)		765				(35		)		6,528		(528		)
	Mutual funds:
	Equity	15,779				(109		)		14,532				(913		)		30,311		(1,022		)
	Fixed income	15,194				(189		)		125,779				(24,023		)		140,973		(24,212		)
	Private equity	—				—				5,257				(3,910		)		5,257		(3,910		)
	Total temporarily impaired securities	$	139,207			$	(7,323	)		$	215,681			$	(34,999	)		$	354,888	$	(42,322	)
		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.
		June 30, 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	$	855			$	(9	)		$	8			$	(1	)		$	863	$	(10	)
	Canadian government	15,559				(105		)		4,400				(125		)		19,959		(230		)
	Corporate	7,226				(99		)		4,981				(245		)		12,207		(344		)
	Residential mortgage-backed	86				(2		)		251				(8		)		337		(10		)
	Asset-backed	405				(5		)		32				—				437		(5		)
	Equity securities:
	Preferred stock	—				—				50				(2		)		50		(2		)
	Common stock:
United States	13,690				(542		)		4,910				(485		)		18,600		(1,027		)
Canada	145				(6		)		1,490				(412		)		1,635		(418		)
Other international	527				(11		)		451				(67		)		978		(78		)
Mutual funds:
Equity	28,576				(373		)		131				(8		)		28,707		(381		)
Fixed income	35,090				(143		)		28,926				(367		)		64,016		(510		)
Private equity	—				—				9,262				(4,494		)		9,262		(4,494		)
Other	12				(9		)		4,541				—				4,553		(9		)
Total temporarily impaired securities	$	102,171			$	(1,304	)		$	59,433			$	(6,214	)		$	161,604	$	(7,518	)
	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	'
Cemetery Perpetual Care Trust Investments [Line Items]	'
Investment related activities	'
	The table below sets forth certain investment-related activities associated with our cemetery perpetual care trusts:
		Three Months Ended								Six Months Ended
		June 30,								June 30,
		2014				2013				2014				2013
		(In thousands)
	Deposits	$	8,400			$	5,422			$	20,237			$	13,650
	Withdrawals	9,314				7,052				15,199				16,621
	Purchases of available-for-sale securities	24,927				55,395				63,822				90,447
	Sales of available-for-sale securities	49,001				29,261				79,073				56,751
	Realized gains from sales of available-for-sale securities	9,824				5,119				14,869				8,901
	Realized losses from sales of available-for-sale securities	(327		)		(440		)		(664		)		(762		)
Long-term receivable and investment components	'
	The components of Cemetery perpetual care trust investments in our unaudited condensed consolidated balance sheet at June 30, 2014 and December 31, 2013 are as follows:
		June 30, 2014				December 31, 2013
		(In thousands)
	Trust investments, at fair value	$	1,379,544			$	1,352,539
	Cash and cash equivalents	104,957				78,509
	Assets associated with businesses held for sale	(79,427		)		(86,726		)
	Cemetery perpetual care trust investments	$	1,405,074			$	1,344,322
Schedule of Available-for-sale Securities Reconciliation	'
		30-Jun-14
		Fair Value Hierarchy Level		Cost				Unrealized				Unrealized				Fair
								Gains				Losses				Value
								(In thousands)
	Fixed income securities:
	U.S. Treasury	2		$	1,260			$	22			$	(10	)		$	1,272
	Canadian government	2		30,104				359				(230		)		30,233
	Corporate	2		24,351				498				(344		)		24,505
	Residential mortgage-backed	2		1,335				23				(10		)		1,348
	Asset-backed	2		1,988				64				(5		)		2,047
	Equity securities:
	Preferred stock	2		9,416				647				(2		)		10,061
	Common stock:
	United States	1		198,797				57,359				(1,027		)		255,129
	Canada	1		7,166				2,724				(418		)		9,472
	Other international	1		13,031				2,173				(78		)		15,126
	Mutual funds:
	Equity	1		57,472				6,980				(381		)		64,071
	Fixed income	1		877,712				55,818				(510		)		933,020
	Private equity	3		23,591				2,177				(4,494		)		21,274
	Other	3		9,651				2,344				(9		)		11,986
	Cemetery perpetual care trust investments			$	1,255,874			$	131,188			$	(7,518	)		$	1,379,544
		31-Dec-13
		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	'
	The change in our market-based cemetery perpetual care trust investments with significant unobservable inputs (Level 3) is as follows:
		Three Months Ended
		30-Jun-14								30-Jun-13
		Private Equity				Other				Private Equity				Other
		(in thousands)
	Fair value, beginning balance	$	20,806			$	11,712			$	16,454			$	10,342
	Net unrealized gains (losses) included in Accumulated other comprehensive income(1)	570				553				20				705
	Net realized losses included in Other income (expense), net(2)	(12		)		(6		)		(13		)		(7		)
	Contributions	709				—				2,316				—
	Distributions and other	(799		)		(273		)		(128		)		(225		)
	Fair value, ending balance	$	21,274			$	11,986			$	18,649			$	10,815
		Six Months Ended
		30-Jun-14								30-Jun-13
		Private Equity				Other				Private Equity				Other
		(in thousands)
	Fair market value, beginning balance	$	19,779			$	11,590			$	11,122			$	7,659
	Net unrealized gains (losses) included in Accumulated other comprehensive income(1)	1,297				681				6,089				3,434
	Net realized losses included in Other income (expense), net(2)	(24		)		(12		)		(95		)		(53		)
	Sales	(17		)		—				—				—
	Contributions	1,403				—				2,317				—
	Distributions and other	(1,164		)		(273		)		(784		)		(225		)
	Fair market value, ending balance	$	21,274			$	11,986			$	18,649			$	10,815
Investments Classified by Contractual Maturity Date	'
	Maturity dates of our fixed income securities range from 2014 to 2043. Maturities of fixed income securities at June 30, 2014 are estimated as follows:
		Fair Value
		(In thousands)
	Due in one year or less	$	17,799
	Due in one to five years	28,710
	Due in five to ten years	11,753
	Thereafter	1,143
		$	59,405

Deferred_Preneed_Funeral_and_C1

Deferred Preneed Funeral and Cemetery Receipts Held in Trust and Care Trusts' Corpus (Tables)	6 Months Ended
	Jun. 30, 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	'
	The components of Deferred preneed funeral and cemetery receipts held in trust in our unaudited condensed consolidated balance sheet at June 30, 2014 and December 31, 2013 are detailed below.
		June 30, 2014									December 31, 2013
		Preneed			Preneed			Total			Preneed			Preneed			Total
		Funeral			Cemetery						Funeral			Cemetery
		(In thousands)
	Trust investments	$	1,678,206		$	1,656,817		$	3,335,023		$	1,647,273		$	1,585,367		$	3,232,640
	Accrued trust operating payables and other	(1,801		)	(2,262		)	(4,063		)	(1,108		)	(1,698		)	(2,806		)
	Deferred preneed funeral and cemetery receipts held in trust	$	1,676,405		$	1,654,555		$	3,330,960		$	1,646,165		$	1,583,669		$	3,229,834
Schedule of Care Trust Corpus' Components	'
	The components of Care trusts’ corpus in our unaudited condensed consolidated balance sheet at June 30, 2014 and December 31, 2013 are detailed below.
		June 30, 2014			December 31, 2013
		(In thousands)
	Cemetery perpetual care trust investments	$	1,405,074		$	1,344,322
	Accrued trust operating payables and other	(807		)	(1,748		)
	Care trusts’ corpus	$	1,404,267		$	1,342,574
Schedule of Other Nonoperating Income, by Component	'
	The components of Other income (expense), net in our unaudited condensed consolidated statement of operations for the three and six months ended June 30, 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 June 30, 2014
		Funeral			Cemetery			Cemetery Perpetual			Other, Net			Total
		Trusts			Trusts			Care Trusts
					(In thousands)
	Realized gains	$	15,911		$	20,655		$	9,824		$	—		$	46,390
	Realized losses	(2,665		)	(3,826		)	(327		)	—			(6,818		)
	Impairment charges	(119		)	(179		)	(7		)	—			(305		)
	Interest, dividend, and other ordinary income	7,900			4,981			12,385			—			25,266
	Trust expenses and income taxes	(4,978		)	(4,377		)	(2,127		)	—			(11,482		)
	Net trust investment income	16,049			17,254			19,748			—			53,051
	Reclassification to deferred preneed funeral and cemetery receipts held in trust and care trusts’ corpus	(16,049		)	(17,254		)	(19,748		)	—			(53,051		)
	Other income (expense), net	—			—			—			50			50
	Total other income, net	$	—		$	—		$	—		$	50		$	50
		Six Months Ended June 30, 2014
		Funeral			Cemetery			Cemetery Perpetual			Other, Net			Total
		Trusts			Trusts			Care Trusts
					(In thousands)
	Realized gains	$	32,012		$	46,187		$	14,869		$	—		$	93,068
	Realized losses	(4,139		)	(6,125		)	(664		)	—			(10,928		)
	Impairment charges	(370		)	(518		)	(47		)	—			(935		)
	Interest, dividend, and other ordinary income	13,474			7,476			21,971			—			42,921
	Trust expenses and income taxes	(9,445		)	(9,192		)	(3,674		)	—			(22,311		)
	Net trust investment income	31,532			37,828			32,455			—			101,815
	Reclassification to deferred preneed funeral and cemetery receipts held in trust and care trusts’ corpus	(31,532		)	(37,828		)	(32,455		)	—			(101,815		)
	Other expense (expense), net	—			—			—			1,586			1,586
	Total other income, net	$	—		$	—		$	—		$	1,586		$	1,586
		Three Months Ended June 30, 2013
		Funeral			Cemetery			Cemetery Perpetual			Other, Net			Total
		Trusts			Trusts			Care Trusts
					(In thousands)
	Realized gains	$	17,330		$	29,743		$	5,119		$	—		$	52,192
	Realized losses	(4,445		)	(6,885		)	(440		)	—			(11,770		)
	Impairment charges	(446		)	(940		)	(126		)	—			(1,512		)
	Interest, dividend, and other ordinary income	14,206			8,915			7,784			—			30,905
	Trust expenses and income taxes	(2,657		)	(3,087		)	(1,009		)	—			(6,753		)
	Net trust investment income	23,988			27,746			11,328			—			63,062
	Reclassification to deferred preneed funeral and cemetery receipts held in trust and care trusts’ corpus	(23,988		)	(27,746		)	(11,328		)	—			(63,062		)
	Other income (expense), net	—			—			—			(695		)	(695		)
	Total other income (expense), net	$	—		$	—		$	—		$	(695	)	$	(695	)
		Six Months Ended June 30, 2013
		Funeral			Cemetery			Cemetery Perpetual			Other, Net			Total
		Trusts			Trusts			Care Trusts
					(In thousands)
	Realized gains	$	28,701		$	46,319		$	8,901		$	—		$	83,921
	Realized losses	(6,166		)	(9,055		)	(762		)	—			(15,983		)
	Impairment charges	(646		)	(1,297		)	(189		)	—			(2,132		)
	Interest, dividend, and other ordinary income	16,023			10,444			13,873			—			40,340
	Trust expenses and income taxes	(5,038		)	(6,756		)	(1,584		)	—			(13,378		)
	Net trust investment income	32,874			39,655			20,239			—			92,768
	Reclassification to deferred preneed funeral and cemetery receipts held in trust and care trusts’ corpus	(32,874		)	(39,655		)	(20,239		)	—			(92,768		)
	Other income (expense), net	—			—			—			(1,680		)	(1,680		)
	Total other income (expense), net	$	—		$	—		$	—		$	(1,680	)	$	(1,680	)

Debt_Tables

Debt (Tables)	6 Months Ended
	Jun. 30, 2014
Debt [Abstract]	'
Schedule of Debt	'
	Debt as of June 30, 2014 and December 31, 2013 was as follows:
		June 30, 2014			December 31, 2013
		(In thousands)
	3.125% Senior Convertible Notes due July 2014	$	—		$	86,416
	6.75% Senior Notes due April 2015	—			136,465
	6.75% Senior Notes due April 2016	197,377			197,377
	3.375% Senior Convertible Notes due July 2016	134			45,119
	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
	7.0% Senior Notes due May 2019	—			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
	5.375% Senior Notes due May 2024	550,000			—
	7.5% Senior Notes due April 2027	200,000			200,000
	Term Loan due July 2018	465,000			600,000
	Bank credit facility due July 2018	235,000			30,000
	Obligations under capital leases	183,204			189,697
	Mortgage notes and other debt, maturities through 2050	4,302			4,752
	Unamortized (discounts) premiums and other, net	(3,214		)	42,084
	Total debt	3,151,803			3,301,910
	Less:
	Current maturities of debt, capital lease obligations, and mortgage notes	(102,065		)	(153,738		)
	Current maturities of unamortized discounts (premiums) and other, net	629			(22,624		)
	Total current maturities	(101,436		)	(176,362		)
	Total long-term debt	$	3,050,367		$	3,125,548

Credit_Risk_and_Fair_Value_of_1

Credit Risk and Fair Value of Financial Instruments (Tables)	6 Months Ended
	Jun. 30, 2014
Credit Risk and Fair Value of Financial Instruments [Abstract]	'
Fair Value, Measurement Inputs, Disclosure	'
	The fair value of our debt instruments at June 30, 2014 and December 31, 2013 was as follows:
		June 30, 2014		December 31, 2013
		(In thousands)
	3.125% Senior Convertible Notes due July 2014	$	—	$	106,939
	6.75% Senior Notes due April 2015	—		144,653
	6.75% Senior Notes due April 2016	213,651		214,904
	3.375% Senior Convertible Notes due July 2016	160		60,487
	7.0% Senior Notes due June 2017	332,244		333,259
	7.625% Senior Notes due October 2018	293,125		288,875
	6.5% Senior Notes due April 2019	—		210,000
	7.0% Senior Notes due May 2019	—		270,000
	4.5% Senior Notes due November 2020	206,000		192,610
	8.0% Senior Notes due November 2021	175,500		173,625
	5.375% Senior Notes due January 2022	443,063		431,588
	5.375% Senior Notes due May 2024	568,563		—
	7.5% Senior Notes due April 2027	217,500		215,750
	Term Loan due July 2018	465,000		600,000
	Bank credit facility due July 2018	235,000		30,000
	Mortgage notes and other debt, maturities through 2050	4,302		4,752
	Total fair value of debt instruments	$	3,154,108	$	3,277,442

ShareBased_Compensation_Tables

Share-Based Compensation (Tables)	6 Months Ended
	Jun. 30, 2014
Share-based Compensation [Abstract]	'
Schedule of Share-based Payment Award, Stock Options, Valuation Assumptions	'
	The fair values of our stock options are calculated using the following weighted average assumptions for the six months ended June 30, 2014:
			Six Months Ended
	Assumptions		June 30, 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	'
	The following table sets forth stock option activity for the six months ended June 30, 2014:
		Options			Weighted-Average
					Exercise Price
	Outstanding at December 31, 2013	13,319,750			$	9.84
	Granted	2,495,850			$	17.41
	Exercised	(1,731,275	)		$	9.67
	Canceled	(26,034	)		$	15.77
	Outstanding at June 30, 2014	14,058,291			$	11.19
	Exercisable at June 30, 2014	9,598,541			$	9.03
Schedule of Share-based Compensation, Restricted Stock Units Award Activity	'
	Restricted share activity for the six months ended June 30, 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 June 30, 2014	1,340,250			$	13.3

Equity_Tables

Equity (Tables)	6 Months Ended
	Jun. 30, 2014
Equity [Abstract]	'
Schedule of Accumulated Other Comprehensive Income (Loss)	'
	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	2,318			—			2,318
	Increase in net unrealized gains associated with available-for-sale securities of the trusts, net of taxes	—			46,253			46,253
	Reclassification of net unrealized gains activity attributable to the Deferred preneed funeral and cemetery receipts held in trust and Care trusts’ corpus’, net of taxes	—			(46,253		)	(46,253		)
	Balance at June 30, 2014	$	90,759		$	—		$	90,759
	Balance at December 31, 2012	$	111,717		$	—		$	111,717
	Activity in 2013	(17,260		)	—			(17,260		)
	Increase in net unrealized gains associated with available-for-sale securities of the trusts, net of taxes	—			8,744			8,744
	Reclassification of net unrealized gain activity attributable to the Deferred preneed funeral and cemetery receipts held in trust and Care trusts’ corpus’, net of taxes	—			(8,744		)	(8,744		)
	Balance at June 30, 2013	$	94,457		$	—		$	94,457

Segment_Reporting_Tables

Segment Reporting (Tables)	6 Months Ended
	Jun. 30, 2014
Segment Reporting [Abstract]	'
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 June 30,
	Revenues from external customers:
	2014	$	479,531		$	267,215		$	746,746
	2013	$	414,545		$	209,686		$	624,231
	Gross profits:
	2014	$	97,908		$	57,956		$	155,864
	2013	$	80,259		$	45,724		$	125,983
	Six Months Ended June 30,
	Revenues from external customers:
	2014	$	988,585		$	503,670		$	1,492,255
	2013	$	874,630		$	400,019		$	1,274,649
	Gross profits:
	2014	$	217,155		$	104,949		$	322,104
	2013	$	200,060		$	85,250		$	285,310
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						Six Months Ended
		June 30,						June 30,
		2014			2013			2014			2013
		(In thousands)
	Gross profits from reportable segments	$	155,864		$	125,983		$	322,104		$	285,310
	General and administrative expenses	(46,127		)	(31,379		)	(102,137		)	(62,302		)
	Gains (losses) on divestitures and impairment charges, net	34,994			(5,545		)	32,182			(6,514		)
	Operating income	144,731			89,059			252,149			216,494
	Interest expense	(46,307		)	(32,740		)	(91,303		)	(65,509		)
	(Losses) gains on early extinguishment of debt	(29,158		)	468			(29,158		)	468
	Other income (expense), net	50			(695		)	1,586			(1,680		)
	Income before income taxes	$	69,316		$	56,092		$	133,274		$	149,773
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			Total
		States
					(In thousands)
	Three Months Ended June 30,
	Revenues from external customers:
	2014	$	695,899		$	50,847		$	746,746
	2013	$	570,344		$	53,887		$	624,231
	Six Months Ended June 30,
	Revenues from external customers:
	2014	$	1,390,282		$	101,973		$	1,492,255
	2013	$	1,165,781		$	108,868		$	1,274,649

Supplementary_Information_Tabl

Supplementary Information (Tables)	6 Months Ended
	Jun. 30, 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				Six Months Ended
		June 30,				June 30,
		2014		2013		2014		2013
		(In thousands)
	Property and merchandise revenues:
	Funeral	$	155,649	$	142,949	$	320,384	$	302,564
	Cemetery	188,970		150,003		344,362		279,479
	Total property and merchandise revenues	344,619		292,952		664,746		582,043
	Services revenues:
	Funeral	290,078		242,076		601,238		514,686
	Cemetery	71,249		53,217		142,632		107,785
	Total services revenues	361,327		295,293		743,870		622,471
	Other revenues	40,800		35,986		83,639		70,135
	Total revenues	$	746,746	$	624,231	$	1,492,255	$	1,274,649
	Property and merchandise costs and expenses:
	Funeral	$	73,295	$	65,611	$	155,249	$	140,819
	Cemetery	86,111		64,518		155,648		121,071
	Total cost of property and merchandise	159,406		130,129		310,897		261,890
	Services costs and expenses:
	Funeral	162,235		139,203		321,740		274,297
	Cemetery	39,023		26,220		76,061		52,551
	Total cost of services	201,258		165,423		397,801		326,848
	Overhead and other expense	230,218		202,696		461,453		400,601
	Total costs and expenses	$	590,882	$	498,248	$	1,170,151	$	989,339

Earnings_Per_Share_Tables

Earnings Per Share (Tables)	6 Months Ended
	Jun. 30, 2014
Earnings Per Share [Abstract]	'
Schedule of Earnings Per Share, Basic and Diluted	'
	A reconciliation of the numerators and denominators of the basic and diluted EPS computations is presented below:
		Three Months Ended				Six Months Ended
		June 30,				June 30,
		2014		2013		2014		2013
		(In thousands, except per
		share amounts)
	Amounts attributable to common stockholders:
	Net income:
	Net income — basic	$	25,922	$	33,615	$	67,024	$	91,236
	After tax interest on convertible debt	13		13		25		25
	Net income — diluted	$	25,935	$	33,628	$	67,049	$	91,261
	Weighted average shares (denominator):
	Weighted average shares — basic	212,390		211,821		212,613		211,602
	Stock options	3,478		4,004		3,859		3,880
	Convertible debt	121		121		121		121
	Weighted average shares — diluted	215,989		215,946		216,593		215,603
	Net income per share:
	Basic	$	0.12	$	0.16	$	0.32	$	0.43
	Diluted	$	0.12	$	0.16	$	0.31	$	0.42

Acquisition_Tables

Acquisition (Tables)	6 Months Ended
	Jun. 30, 2014						Jun. 30, 2013
Acquisition, textuals [Abstract]	'						'
Adjustments to Fair Value	'						'
		(In thousands)
	Decrease in the fair value of accounts receivable and other current assets	$	(12,279	)
	Increase in the fair value of cemetery property	23,426
	Decrease in the fair value of preneed funeral and cemetery receivables and trust investments	(22,705		)
	Decrease in the fair value of finite-lived intangible assets	(29,144		)
	Decrease in the fair value of deferred charges and other assets	(3,984		)
	Decrease in the fair value of deferred preneed funeral and cemetery revenues and deferred receipts held in trust	41,117
	Change in the fair value of acquired assets and liabilities held for sale	(4,660		)
	Decrease in the fair value of deferred income taxes	38,657
	Other	(11,604		)
	Total adjustment to goodwill	$	18,824
Schedule of Finite and Indefinte-lived Intangible Assets Acquired as Part of a Business Combination	'						'
		Useful life
		Minimum		Maximum	Fair Value
		(Years)			(In thousands)
	Preneed customer relationships related to insurance policies	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
Schedule of Recognized Identified Assets Acquired and Liabilities Assumed	'						'
		(In thousands)
	Accounts receivable	$	11,521
	Other current assets	188,737
	Cemetery property	308,201
	Property and equipment, net	340,799
	Preneed funeral and cemetery receivables and trust investments	632,305
	Finite-lived intangible assets	77,134
	Indefinite-lived intangible assets	79,400
	Acquired assets held for sale	519,906
	Deferred charges and other assets	274,336
	Goodwill	559,754
	Total assets acquired	2,992,093
	Current liabilities	217,773
	Long-term debt	270,668
	Deferred preneed funeral and cemetery revenues and deferred receipts held in trusts	741,741
	Assumed liabilities held for sale	243,955
	Deferred income taxes	61,512
	Other liabilities	290,971
	Total liabilities assumed	1,826,620
	Noncontrolling interest	118
	Net assets acquired	$	1,165,355
Business Acquisition, Pro Forma Information	'						'
								Three Months Ended		Six Months Ended
								June 30,		June 30,
								2013		2013
								(In thousands)
							Revenue	$	722,810	$	1,472,915
							Net income	$	44,713	$	108,932

DivestitureRelated_Activities_1

Divestiture-Related Activities (Tables)	6 Months Ended
	Jun. 30, 2014
Divestiture-Related Activities [Abstract]	'
Schedule of Disposal Groups, Including Discontinued Operations, Income Statement, Balance Sheet and Additional Disclosures	'
		30-Jun			31-Dec
		2014			2013
		(In thousands)
	Current assets	$	2,979		$	4,750
	Property and equipment, net	281			116
	Deferred charges and other assets	3,673			2,375
	Total assets	$	6,933		$	7,241
	Accounts payable and accrued liabilities	4,014			4,728
	Deferred preneed funeral revenues	1,360			938
	Other long term liabilities	30			30
	Total liabilities	5,404			5,696
	Net assets of discontinued operations	$	1,529		$	1,545
Held for Sale, Net Assets	'
		30-Jun			31-Dec
		2014			2013
		(In thousands)
	Current assets	$	3,043		$	4,569
	Preneed funeral and cemetery receivables and trust investments	297,075			363,480
	Cemetery property	64,967			83,115
	Property and equipment, net	47,632			63,356
	Goodwill	139,145			193,545
	Deferred charges and other assets	16,160			32,989
	Cemetery perpetual care trust investments	79,427			86,726
	Total assets	$	647,449		$	827,780
	Accounts payable and accrued liabilities	2,252			3,183
	Deferred preneed funeral and cemetery revenues and deferred receipts held in trusts	357,588			427,436
	Care trusts' corpus	78,976			86,726
	Other long term liabilities	3,444			4,209
	Total liabilities	442,260			521,554
	Net assets held for sale	$	205,189		$	306,226
Gains (Losses) on Divestitures and Impairment Charges	'
		Three Months Ended							Six Months Ended
		30-Jun							30-Jun
		2014				2013			2014			2013
		(In thousands)
	Gains (losses) on divestitures, net	$	35,937			$	(3,710	)	$	37,864		$	(4,600	)
	Impairment losses	(943		)		(1,835		)	(5,682		)	$	(1,914	)
		$	34,994			$	(5,545	)	$	32,182		$	(6,514	)

Summary_of_Significant_Account2

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

Preneed_Funeral_Activities_Inv

Preneed Funeral Activities Investment Related Activities (Details) (USD $)	3 Months Ended		6 Months Ended
In Thousands, unless otherwise specified	Jun. 30, 2014	Jun. 30, 2013	Jun. 30, 2014	Jun. 30, 2013
Investment related activities [Line Items]	'	'	'	'
Realized gains from sales of available-for-sale securities	$46,390	$52,192	$93,068	$83,921
Realized losses from sales of available-for-sale securities	-6,818	-11,770	-10,928	-15,983
Funeral	'	'	'	'
Investment related activities [Line Items]	'	'	'	'
Deposits	24,949	21,416	52,872	43,615
Withdrawals	31,955	35,544	75,692	68,249
Purchases of available-for-sale securities	79,305	116,847	140,790	177,826
Sales of available-for-sale securities	107,199	149,946	171,250	246,650
Realized gains from sales of available-for-sale securities	15,911	17,330	32,012	28,701
Realized losses from sales of available-for-sale securities	($2,665)	($4,445)	($4,139)	($6,166)

Preneed_Funeral_Activities_Lon

Preneed Funeral Activities Long-term Receivable and Investment (Details) (USD $)	Jun. 30, 2014	Dec. 31, 2013
In Thousands, unless otherwise specified
Long-term receivable and investment components [Line Items]	'	'
Assets of Disposal Group, Including Discontinued Operation, Current	$2,979	$4,750
Preneed funeral receivables and trust investments	1,880,467	1,851,633
Funeral	'	'
Long-term receivable and investment components [Line Items]	'	'
Trust investments, at market	1,390,801	1,422,942
Cash and cash equivalents	163,170	128,216
Assets of Disposal Group, Including Discontinued Operation, Current	-155,114	-184,854
Insurance-backed fixed income securities	279,349	280,969
Trust investments	1,678,206	1,647,273
Receivables from customers	256,575	259,793
Unearned finance charges	-10,384	-10,094
Preneed funeral receivables, net and trust investments, excluding allowance for cancellation	1,924,397	1,896,972
Allowance for cancellation	-43,930	-45,339
Preneed funeral receivables and trust investments	$1,880,467	$1,851,633

Preneed_Funeral_Activities_Sch

Preneed Funeral Activities Schedule of Available-for-sale Securities (Details) (Funeral, USD $)	6 Months Ended	12 Months Ended
In Thousands, unless otherwise specified	Jun. 30, 2014	Dec. 31, 2013
Schedule of Available-for-sale Securities [Line Items]	'	'
Available-for-sale Securities, Amortized Cost Basis	$1,286,540	$1,343,887
Available-for-sale Securities, Gross Unrealized Gains	138,269	121,718
Available-for-sale Securities, Gross Unrealized Losses	-34,008	-42,663
Available-for-sale Securities, Fair Value	1,390,801	1,422,942
Fair Value, Inputs, Level 2 | US Treasury Securities	'	'
Schedule of Available-for-sale Securities [Line Items]	'	'
Available-for-sale Securities, Amortized Cost Basis	107,491	110,511
Available-for-sale Securities, Gross Unrealized Gains	1,996	1,299
Available-for-sale Securities, Gross Unrealized Losses	-3,517	-5,599
Available-for-sale Securities, Fair Value	105,970	106,211
Fair Value, Inputs, Level 2 | Foreign Government Debt Securities	'	'
Schedule of Available-for-sale Securities [Line Items]	'	'
Available-for-sale Securities, Amortized Cost Basis	99,308	100,263
Available-for-sale Securities, Gross Unrealized Gains	217	81
Available-for-sale Securities, Gross Unrealized Losses	-963	-1,113
Available-for-sale Securities, Fair Value	98,562	99,231
Fair Value, Inputs, Level 2 | Corporate Debt Securities	'	'
Schedule of Available-for-sale Securities [Line Items]	'	'
Available-for-sale Securities, Amortized Cost Basis	47,997	64,042
Available-for-sale Securities, Gross Unrealized Gains	3,617	3,515
Available-for-sale Securities, Gross Unrealized Losses	-374	-691
Available-for-sale Securities, Fair Value	51,240	66,866
Fair Value, Inputs, Level 2 | Residential Mortgage Backed Securities	'	'
Schedule of Available-for-sale Securities [Line Items]	'	'
Available-for-sale Securities, Amortized Cost Basis	1,610	2,408
Available-for-sale Securities, Gross Unrealized Gains	28	23
Available-for-sale Securities, Gross Unrealized Losses	-21	-33
Available-for-sale Securities, Fair Value	1,617	2,398
Fair Value, Inputs, Level 2 | Asset-backed Securities	'	'
Schedule of Available-for-sale Securities [Line Items]	'	'
Available-for-sale Securities, Amortized Cost Basis	2,733	3,366
Available-for-sale Securities, Gross Unrealized Gains	50	0
Available-for-sale Securities, Gross Unrealized Losses	1	-10
Available-for-sale Securities, Fair Value	2,782	3,356
Fair Value, Inputs, Level 2 | Preferred Stock Securities	'	'
Schedule of Available-for-sale Securities [Line Items]	'	'
Available-for-sale Securities, Amortized Cost Basis	20,045	30,107
Available-for-sale Securities, Gross Unrealized Gains	1,959	754
Available-for-sale Securities, Gross Unrealized Losses	-30	-235
Available-for-sale Securities, Fair Value	21,974	30,626
Fair Value, Inputs, Level 1 | US Common Stock Securities	'	'
Schedule of Available-for-sale Securities [Line Items]	'	'
Available-for-sale Securities, Amortized Cost Basis	324,908	364,721
Available-for-sale Securities, Gross Unrealized Gains	74,621	77,963
Available-for-sale Securities, Gross Unrealized Losses	-6,053	-2,928
Available-for-sale Securities, Fair Value	393,476	439,756
Fair Value, Inputs, Level 1 | Canada Common Stock Securities	'	'
Schedule of Available-for-sale Securities [Line Items]	'	'
Available-for-sale Securities, Amortized Cost Basis	23,088	27,634
Available-for-sale Securities, Gross Unrealized Gains	5,686	4,346
Available-for-sale Securities, Gross Unrealized Losses	-810	-1,216
Available-for-sale Securities, Fair Value	27,964	30,764
Fair Value, Inputs, Level 1 | Other International Common Stock Securities	'	'
Schedule of Available-for-sale Securities [Line Items]	'	'
Available-for-sale Securities, Amortized Cost Basis	29,487	35,519
Available-for-sale Securities, Gross Unrealized Gains	5,825	4,986
Available-for-sale Securities, Gross Unrealized Losses	-391	-199
Available-for-sale Securities, Fair Value	34,921	40,306
Fair Value, Inputs, Level 1 | Equity Funds	'	'
Schedule of Available-for-sale Securities [Line Items]	'	'
Available-for-sale Securities, Amortized Cost Basis	292,246	257,256
Available-for-sale Securities, Gross Unrealized Gains	31,697	22,530
Available-for-sale Securities, Gross Unrealized Losses	-1,230	-2,303
Available-for-sale Securities, Fair Value	322,713	277,483
Fair Value, Inputs, Level 1 | Fixed Income Funds	'	'
Schedule of Available-for-sale Securities [Line Items]	'	'
Available-for-sale Securities, Amortized Cost Basis	302,917	313,606
Available-for-sale Securities, Gross Unrealized Gains	8,555	3,228
Available-for-sale Securities, Gross Unrealized Losses	-13,698	-19,577
Available-for-sale Securities, Fair Value	297,774	297,257
Fair Value, Inputs, Level 3 | Private Equity Funds	'	'
Schedule of Available-for-sale Securities [Line Items]	'	'
Available-for-sale Securities, Amortized Cost Basis	30,640	32,909
Available-for-sale Securities, Gross Unrealized Gains	3,619	2,702
Available-for-sale Securities, Gross Unrealized Losses	-6,920	-8,726
Available-for-sale Securities, Fair Value	27,339	26,885
Fair Value, Inputs, Level 3 | Other Investments	'	'
Schedule of Available-for-sale Securities [Line Items]	'	'
Available-for-sale Securities, Amortized Cost Basis	4,070	1,545
Available-for-sale Securities, Gross Unrealized Gains	399	291
Available-for-sale Securities, Gross Unrealized Losses	0	-33
Available-for-sale Securities, Fair Value	$4,469	$1,803

Preneed_Funeral_Activities_Lev

Preneed Funeral Activities Level 3 Activities (Details) (Funeral, USD $)	3 Months Ended				6 Months Ended
In Thousands, unless otherwise specified	Jun. 30, 2014		Jun. 30, 2013		Jun. 30, 2014		Jun. 30, 2013
Private Equity Funds	'		'		'		'
Fair Value, Assets Measured on Recurring Basis, Unobservable Input Reconciliation, Calculation [Roll Forward]	'		'		'		'
Fair market value, beginning balance	$27,514		$25,731		$26,885		$17,879
Net unrealized (losses) gains included in Accumulated other comprehensive income	-1,165	[1]	1,761	[1]	-1,635	[1]	12,611	[1]
Net realized losses included in Other income, net(2)	-6	[2]	-6	[2]	-14	[2]	-11	[2]
Payments to Acquire Other Investments	1,068		0		2,955		0
Contributions	490		1,565		957		2,202
Distributions and other	-562		-2,718		-1,809		-6,348
Fair market value, ending balance	27,339		26,333		27,339		26,333
Other Investments	'		'		'		'
Fair Value, Assets Measured on Recurring Basis, Unobservable Input Reconciliation, Calculation [Roll Forward]	'		'		'		'
Fair market value, beginning balance	3,839		1,252		1,803		744
Net unrealized (losses) gains included in Accumulated other comprehensive income	820	[1]	361	[1]	2,856	[1]	870	[1]
Net realized losses included in Other income, net(2)	-1	[2]	-1	[2]	-1	[2]	-2	[2]
Payments to Acquire Other Investments	0		0		0		0
Contributions	0		0		0		0
Distributions and other	-189		155		-189		-155
Fair market value, ending balance	$4,469		$1,457		$4,469		$1,457
[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, USD $)	Jun. 30, 2014
In Thousands, unless otherwise specified
Funeral	'
Investments Classified By Contractual Maturity Date [Line Items]	'
Available-for-sale Securities, Debt Maturities, within One Year, Fair Value	$132,052
Available-for-sale Securities, Debt Maturities, after One Through Five Years, Fair Value	55,053
Available-for-sale Securities, Debt Maturities, after Five Through Ten Years, Fair Value	42,680
Available-for-sale Securities, Debt Maturities, after Ten Years, Fair Value	30,386
Available-for-sale Securities, Debt Maturities, Total, Fair Value	$260,171

Preneed_Funeral_Activities_Sch1

Preneed Funeral Activities Schedule of Unrealized Loss on Investments (Details) (Funeral, USD $)	6 Months Ended	12 Months Ended
In Thousands, unless otherwise specified	Jun. 30, 2014	Dec. 31, 2013
Schedule of unrealized loss on investments [Line Items]	'	'
Available-for-sale Securities, Continuous Unrealized Loss Position, Less than Twelve Months, Fair Value	$137,771	$290,705
Available-for-sale Securities, Continuous Unrealized Loss Position, Less than 12 Months, Aggregate Losses	-6,983	-12,519
Available-for-sale Securities, Continuous Unrealized Loss Position, Twelve Months or Longer, Fair Value	166,271	114,048
Available-for-sale Securities, Continuous Unrealized Loss Position, 12 Months or Longer, Aggregate Losses	-27,025	-30,144
Available-for-sale Securities, Continuous Unrealized Loss Position, Fair Value	304,042	404,753
Available-for-sale Securities, Continuous Unrealized Loss Position, Aggregate Losses	-34,008	-42,663
US Treasury Securities	'	'
Schedule of unrealized loss on investments [Line Items]	'	'
Available-for-sale Securities, Continuous Unrealized Loss Position, Less than Twelve Months, Fair Value	7,752	28,693
Available-for-sale Securities, Continuous Unrealized Loss Position, Less than 12 Months, Aggregate Losses	-283	-3,595
Available-for-sale Securities, Continuous Unrealized Loss Position, Twelve Months or Longer, Fair Value	38,290	19,351
Available-for-sale Securities, Continuous Unrealized Loss Position, 12 Months or Longer, Aggregate Losses	-3,234	-2,004
Available-for-sale Securities, Continuous Unrealized Loss Position, Fair Value	46,042	48,044
Available-for-sale Securities, Continuous Unrealized Loss Position, Aggregate Losses	-3,517	-5,599
Foreign Government Debt Securities	'	'
Schedule of unrealized loss on investments [Line Items]	'	'
Available-for-sale Securities, Continuous Unrealized Loss Position, Less than Twelve Months, Fair Value	5,045	9,546
Available-for-sale Securities, Continuous Unrealized Loss Position, Less than 12 Months, Aggregate Losses	-19	-120
Available-for-sale Securities, Continuous Unrealized Loss Position, Twelve Months or Longer, Fair Value	19,903	18,981
Available-for-sale Securities, Continuous Unrealized Loss Position, 12 Months or Longer, Aggregate Losses	-944	-993
Available-for-sale Securities, Continuous Unrealized Loss Position, Fair Value	24,948	28,527
Available-for-sale Securities, Continuous Unrealized Loss Position, Aggregate Losses	-963	-1,113
Corporate Debt Securities	'	'
Schedule of unrealized loss on investments [Line Items]	'	'
Available-for-sale Securities, Continuous Unrealized Loss Position, Less than Twelve Months, Fair Value	9,106	21,357
Available-for-sale Securities, Continuous Unrealized Loss Position, Less than 12 Months, Aggregate Losses	-253	-346
Available-for-sale Securities, Continuous Unrealized Loss Position, Twelve Months or Longer, Fair Value	2,853	5,654
Available-for-sale Securities, Continuous Unrealized Loss Position, 12 Months or Longer, Aggregate Losses	-121	-345
Available-for-sale Securities, Continuous Unrealized Loss Position, Fair Value	11,959	27,011
Available-for-sale Securities, Continuous Unrealized Loss Position, Aggregate Losses	-374	-691
Residential Mortgage Backed Securities	'	'
Schedule of unrealized loss on investments [Line Items]	'	'
Available-for-sale Securities, Continuous Unrealized Loss Position, Less than Twelve Months, Fair Value	168	1,381
Available-for-sale Securities, Continuous Unrealized Loss Position, Less than 12 Months, Aggregate Losses	-5	-25
Available-for-sale Securities, Continuous Unrealized Loss Position, Twelve Months or Longer, Fair Value	401	172
Available-for-sale Securities, Continuous Unrealized Loss Position, 12 Months or Longer, Aggregate Losses	-16	-8
Available-for-sale Securities, Continuous Unrealized Loss Position, Fair Value	569	1,553
Available-for-sale Securities, Continuous Unrealized Loss Position, Aggregate Losses	-21	-33
Asset-backed Securities	'	'
Schedule of unrealized loss on investments [Line Items]	'	'
Available-for-sale Securities, Continuous Unrealized Loss Position, Less than Twelve Months, Fair Value	464	3,275
Available-for-sale Securities, Continuous Unrealized Loss Position, Less than 12 Months, Aggregate Losses	-1	-10
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	464	3,275
Available-for-sale Securities, Continuous Unrealized Loss Position, Aggregate Losses	-1	-10
Preferred Stock Securities	'	'
Schedule of unrealized loss on investments [Line Items]	'	'
Available-for-sale Securities, Continuous Unrealized Loss Position, Less than Twelve Months, Fair Value	903	14,028
Available-for-sale Securities, Continuous Unrealized Loss Position, Less than 12 Months, Aggregate Losses	-30	-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	903	14,028
Available-for-sale Securities, Continuous Unrealized Loss Position, Aggregate Losses	-30	-235
US Common Stock Securities	'	'
Schedule of unrealized loss on investments [Line Items]	'	'
Available-for-sale Securities, Continuous Unrealized Loss Position, Less than Twelve Months, Fair Value	74,480	46,544
Available-for-sale Securities, Continuous Unrealized Loss Position, Less than 12 Months, Aggregate Losses	-5,480	-2,153
Available-for-sale Securities, Continuous Unrealized Loss Position, Twelve Months or Longer, Fair Value	2,935	3,327
Available-for-sale Securities, Continuous Unrealized Loss Position, 12 Months or Longer, Aggregate Losses	-573	-775
Available-for-sale Securities, Continuous Unrealized Loss Position, Fair Value	77,415	49,871
Available-for-sale Securities, Continuous Unrealized Loss Position, Aggregate Losses	-6,053	-2,928
Canada Common Stock Securities	'	'
Schedule of unrealized loss on investments [Line Items]	'	'
Available-for-sale Securities, Continuous Unrealized Loss Position, Less than Twelve Months, Fair Value	1,763	2,433
Available-for-sale Securities, Continuous Unrealized Loss Position, Less than 12 Months, Aggregate Losses	-126	-576
Available-for-sale Securities, Continuous Unrealized Loss Position, Twelve Months or Longer, Fair Value	1,958	1,992
Available-for-sale Securities, Continuous Unrealized Loss Position, 12 Months or Longer, Aggregate Losses	-684	-641
Available-for-sale Securities, Continuous Unrealized Loss Position, Fair Value	3,721	4,425
Available-for-sale Securities, Continuous Unrealized Loss Position, Aggregate Losses	-810	-1,217
Other International Common Stock Securities	'	'
Schedule of unrealized loss on investments [Line Items]	'	'
Available-for-sale Securities, Continuous Unrealized Loss Position, Less than Twelve Months, Fair Value	3,311	3,396
Available-for-sale Securities, Continuous Unrealized Loss Position, Less than 12 Months, Aggregate Losses	-339	-138
Available-for-sale Securities, Continuous Unrealized Loss Position, Twelve Months or Longer, Fair Value	538	369
Available-for-sale Securities, Continuous Unrealized Loss Position, 12 Months or Longer, Aggregate Losses	-52	-60
Available-for-sale Securities, Continuous Unrealized Loss Position, Fair Value	3,849	3,765
Available-for-sale Securities, Continuous Unrealized Loss Position, Aggregate Losses	-391	-198
Equity Funds	'	'
Schedule of unrealized loss on investments [Line Items]	'	'
Available-for-sale Securities, Continuous Unrealized Loss Position, Less than Twelve Months, Fair Value	15,493	16,206
Available-for-sale Securities, Continuous Unrealized Loss Position, Less than 12 Months, Aggregate Losses	-179	-337
Available-for-sale Securities, Continuous Unrealized Loss Position, Twelve Months or Longer, Fair Value	9,525	12,456
Available-for-sale Securities, Continuous Unrealized Loss Position, 12 Months or Longer, Aggregate Losses	-1,051	-1,966
Available-for-sale Securities, Continuous Unrealized Loss Position, Fair Value	25,018	28,662
Available-for-sale Securities, Continuous Unrealized Loss Position, Aggregate Losses	-1,230	-2,303
Fixed Income Funds	'	'
Schedule of unrealized loss on investments [Line Items]	'	'
Available-for-sale Securities, Continuous Unrealized Loss Position, Less than Twelve Months, Fair Value	19,286	143,846
Available-for-sale Securities, Continuous Unrealized Loss Position, Less than 12 Months, Aggregate Losses	-268	-4,984
Available-for-sale Securities, Continuous Unrealized Loss Position, Twelve Months or Longer, Fair Value	77,428	38,217
Available-for-sale Securities, Continuous Unrealized Loss Position, 12 Months or Longer, Aggregate Losses	-13,430	-14,593
Available-for-sale Securities, Continuous Unrealized Loss Position, Fair Value	96,714	182,063
Available-for-sale Securities, Continuous Unrealized Loss Position, Aggregate Losses	-13,698	-19,577
Private Equity Funds	'	'
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	12,440	13,002
Available-for-sale Securities, Continuous Unrealized Loss Position, 12 Months or Longer, Aggregate Losses	-6,920	-8,726
Available-for-sale Securities, Continuous Unrealized Loss Position, Fair Value	12,440	13,002
Available-for-sale Securities, Continuous Unrealized Loss Position, Aggregate Losses	-6,920	-8,726
Other Investments	'	'
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		6 Months Ended
	Jun. 30, 2014	Jun. 30, 2013	Jun. 30, 2014	Jun. 30, 2013
Other than Temporary Impairment Losses, Investments, Portion Recognized in Earnings, Net	$305,000	$1,512,000	$935,000	$2,132,000
Funeral	'	'	'	'
Fair Value, Measurement with unobservable inputs, risk discount, low end of the range	0.00%	'	0.00%	'
Fair Value, Measurement with unobservable inputs, risk discount, high end of the range	20.00%	'	20.00%	'
Fair Value, Measurement with unobservable inputs, liquidity discount, low end of the range	0.00%	'	0.00%	'
Fair Value, Measurement with unobservable inputs, liquidity discount, high end of the range	10.00%	'	10.00%	'
Fair Value, Investments, Entities that Calculate Net Asset Value Per Share, Unfunded Commitments	6,400,000	'	6,400,000	'
Investment Earnings, Net	17,100,000	12,000,000	32,500,000	24,300,000
Other than Temporary Impairment Losses, Investments, Portion Recognized in Earnings, Net	$119,000	$446,000	$370,000	$646,000
Underlying assets liquidation range, minimum	'	'	'2 years	'
Underlying assets liquidation range, maximum	'	'	'10 years	'

Preneed_Cemetery_Activities_In

Preneed Cemetery Activities Investment Related Activities (Details) (USD $)	3 Months Ended		6 Months Ended
In Thousands, unless otherwise specified	Jun. 30, 2014	Jun. 30, 2013	Jun. 30, 2014	Jun. 30, 2013
Investment related activities [Line Items]	'	'	'	'
Realized gains from sales of available-for-sale securities	$46,390	$52,192	$93,068	$83,921
Realized losses from sales of available-for-sale securities	-6,818	-11,770	-10,928	-15,983
Cemetery	'	'	'	'
Investment related activities [Line Items]	'	'	'	'
Deposits	33,132	28,344	61,403	53,612
Withdrawals	28,221	33,458	62,569	63,339
Purchases of available-for-sale securities	111,565	190,675	210,323	296,397
Sales of available-for-sale securities	103,530	208,589	195,847	334,332
Realized gains from sales of available-for-sale securities	20,655	29,743	46,187	46,319
Realized losses from sales of available-for-sale securities	($3,826)	($6,885)	($6,125)	($9,055)

Preneed_Cemetery_Activities_Lo

Preneed Cemetery Activities Long-term Receivable and Investment (Details) (USD $)	Jun. 30, 2014	Dec. 31, 2013
In Thousands, unless otherwise specified
Long-term receivable and investment components [Line Items]	'	'
Assets of Disposal Group, Including Discontinued Operation, Current	$2,979	$4,750
Preneed cemetery receivables, net and trust investments	2,404,682	2,297,823
Cemetery	'	'
Long-term receivable and investment components [Line Items]	'	'
Trust investments, at market	1,603,107	1,553,719
Cash and cash equivalents	135,185	138,459
Assets of Disposal Group, Including Discontinued Operation, Current	-81,479	-106,815
Insurance-backed fixed income securities	4	4
Trust investments	1,656,817	1,585,367
Receivables from customers	845,040	798,420
Unearned finance charges	-32,242	-30,042
Preneed cemetary receivables, net and trust investments, excluding allowance for cancellation	2,469,615	2,353,745
Allowance for cancellation	-64,933	-55,922
Preneed cemetery receivables, net and trust investments	$2,404,682	$2,297,823

Preneed_Cemetery_Activities_Sc

Preneed Cemetery Activities Schedule of Available-for-sale Securities (Details) (Cemetery, USD $)	6 Months Ended	12 Months Ended
In Thousands, unless otherwise specified	Jun. 30, 2014	Dec. 31, 2013
Schedule of Available-for-sale Securities [Line Items]	'	'
Available-for-sale Securities, Amortized Cost Basis	$1,407,179	$1,380,655
Available-for-sale Securities, Gross Unrealized Gains	238,250	227,890
Available-for-sale Securities, Gross Unrealized Losses	-42,322	-54,826
Available-for-sale Securities, Fair Value	1,603,107	1,553,719
Fair Value, Inputs, Level 2 | US Treasury Securities	'	'
Schedule of Available-for-sale Securities [Line Items]	'	'
Available-for-sale Securities, Amortized Cost Basis	113,114	113,621
Available-for-sale Securities, Gross Unrealized Gains	2,775	1,714
Available-for-sale Securities, Gross Unrealized Losses	-5,321	-8,876
Available-for-sale Securities, Fair Value	110,568	106,459
Fair Value, Inputs, Level 2 | Foreign Government Debt Securities	'	'
Schedule of Available-for-sale Securities [Line Items]	'	'
Available-for-sale Securities, Amortized Cost Basis	18,414	17,073
Available-for-sale Securities, Gross Unrealized Gains	204	170
Available-for-sale Securities, Gross Unrealized Losses	-130	-261
Available-for-sale Securities, Fair Value	18,488	16,982
Fair Value, Inputs, Level 2 | Corporate Debt Securities	'	'
Schedule of Available-for-sale Securities [Line Items]	'	'
Available-for-sale Securities, Amortized Cost Basis	45,719	48,970
Available-for-sale Securities, Gross Unrealized Gains	6,093	5,262
Available-for-sale Securities, Gross Unrealized Losses	-496	-646
Available-for-sale Securities, Fair Value	51,316	53,586
Fair Value, Inputs, Level 2 | Residential Mortgage Backed Securities	'	'
Schedule of Available-for-sale Securities [Line Items]	'	'
Available-for-sale Securities, Amortized Cost Basis	141	408
Available-for-sale Securities, Gross Unrealized Gains	3	2
Available-for-sale Securities, Gross Unrealized Losses	-2	-2
Available-for-sale Securities, Fair Value	142	408
Fair Value, Inputs, Level 2 | Asset-backed Securities	'	'
Schedule of Available-for-sale Securities [Line Items]	'	'
Available-for-sale Securities, Amortized Cost Basis	2,723	3,346
Available-for-sale Securities, Gross Unrealized Gains	69	0
Available-for-sale Securities, Gross Unrealized Losses	0	13
Available-for-sale Securities, Fair Value	2,792	3,333
Fair Value, Inputs, Level 2 | Preferred Stock Securities	'	'
Schedule of Available-for-sale Securities [Line Items]	'	'
Available-for-sale Securities, Amortized Cost Basis	9,431	16,708
Available-for-sale Securities, Gross Unrealized Gains	1,095	1,106
Available-for-sale Securities, Gross Unrealized Losses	-31	-123
Available-for-sale Securities, Fair Value	10,495	17,691
Fair Value, Inputs, Level 1 | US Common Stock Securities	'	'
Schedule of Available-for-sale Securities [Line Items]	'	'
Available-for-sale Securities, Amortized Cost Basis	412,294	425,246
Available-for-sale Securities, Gross Unrealized Gains	136,316	147,258
Available-for-sale Securities, Gross Unrealized Losses	-6,014	-3,231
Available-for-sale Securities, Fair Value	542,596	569,273
Fair Value, Inputs, Level 1 | Canada Common Stock Securities	'	'
Schedule of Available-for-sale Securities [Line Items]	'	'
Available-for-sale Securities, Amortized Cost Basis	13,280	15,368
Available-for-sale Securities, Gross Unrealized Gains	4,868	4,063
Available-for-sale Securities, Gross Unrealized Losses	-656	-935
Available-for-sale Securities, Fair Value	17,492	18,496
Fair Value, Inputs, Level 1 | Other International Common Stock Securities	'	'
Schedule of Available-for-sale Securities [Line Items]	'	'
Available-for-sale Securities, Amortized Cost Basis	34,457	44,184
Available-for-sale Securities, Gross Unrealized Gains	10,020	10,079
Available-for-sale Securities, Gross Unrealized Losses	-528	-200
Available-for-sale Securities, Fair Value	43,949	54,063
Fair Value, Inputs, Level 1 | Equity Funds	'	'
Schedule of Available-for-sale Securities [Line Items]	'	'
Available-for-sale Securities, Amortized Cost Basis	383,466	327,084
Available-for-sale Securities, Gross Unrealized Gains	61,948	49,428
Available-for-sale Securities, Gross Unrealized Losses	-1,022	-1,704
Available-for-sale Securities, Fair Value	444,392	374,808
Fair Value, Inputs, Level 1 | Fixed Income Funds	'	'
Schedule of Available-for-sale Securities [Line Items]	'	'
Available-for-sale Securities, Amortized Cost Basis	346,723	338,944
Available-for-sale Securities, Gross Unrealized Gains	9,731	5,236
Available-for-sale Securities, Gross Unrealized Losses	-24,212	-33,649
Available-for-sale Securities, Fair Value	332,242	310,531
Fair Value, Inputs, Level 3 | Private Equity Funds	'	'
Schedule of Available-for-sale Securities [Line Items]	'	'
Available-for-sale Securities, Amortized Cost Basis	26,640	28,625
Available-for-sale Securities, Gross Unrealized Gains	4,827	3,372
Available-for-sale Securities, Gross Unrealized Losses	-3,910	-5,153
Available-for-sale Securities, Fair Value	27,557	26,844
Fair Value, Inputs, Level 3 | Other Investments	'	'
Schedule of Available-for-sale Securities [Line Items]	'	'
Available-for-sale Securities, Amortized Cost Basis	777	1,078
Available-for-sale Securities, Gross Unrealized Gains	301	200
Available-for-sale Securities, Gross Unrealized Losses	0	-33
Available-for-sale Securities, Fair Value	$1,078	$1,245

Preneed_Cemetery_Activities_Le

Preneed Cemetery Activities Level 3 Activities (Details) (Cemetery, USD $)	3 Months Ended				6 Months Ended
In Thousands, unless otherwise specified	Jun. 30, 2014		Jun. 30, 2013		Jun. 30, 2014		Jun. 30, 2013
Private Equity Funds	'		'		'		'
Fair Value, Assets Measured on Recurring Basis, Unobservable Input Reconciliation, Calculation [Roll Forward]	'		'		'		'
Fair market value, beginning balance	$27,519		$25,957		$26,844		$17,687
Net unrealized losses included in Accumulated other comprehensive income	123	[1]	1,830	[1]	1,610	[1]	13,230	[1]
Net realized losses included in Other income, net(2)	-7	[2]	-6	[2]	-15	[2]	-13	[2]
Contributions	526		1,673		1,025		2,335
Distributions and other	-604		-2,827		-1,907		-6,612
Fair market value, ending balance	27,557		26,627		27,557		26,627
Other Investments	'		'		'		'
Fair Value, Assets Measured on Recurring Basis, Unobservable Input Reconciliation, Calculation [Roll Forward]	'		'		'		'
Fair market value, beginning balance	1,253		1,035		1,245		450
Net unrealized losses included in Accumulated other comprehensive income	28	[1]	389	[1]	37	[1]	976	[1]
Net realized losses included in Other income, net(2)	0	[2]	-1	[2]	-1	[2]	-3	[2]
Contributions	0		0		0		0
Distributions and other	-203		-165		-203		-165
Fair market value, ending balance	$1,078		$1,258		$1,078		$1,258
[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, USD $)	Jun. 30, 2014
In Thousands, unless otherwise specified
Cemetery	'
Investments Classified By Contractual Maturity Date [Line Items]	'
Available-for-sale Securities, Debt Maturities, within One Year, Fair Value	$11,669
Available-for-sale Securities, Debt Maturities, after One Through Five Years, Fair Value	81,495
Available-for-sale Securities, Debt Maturities, after Five Through Ten Years, Fair Value	40,319
Available-for-sale Securities, Debt Maturities, after Ten Years, Fair Value	49,823
Available-for-sale Securities, Debt Maturities, Total, Fair Value	$183,306

Preneed_Cemetery_Activities_Sc1

Preneed Cemetery Activities Schedule of Unrealized Loss on Investments (Details) (Cemetery, USD $)	6 Months Ended	12 Months Ended
In Thousands, unless otherwise specified	Jun. 30, 2014	Dec. 31, 2013
Schedule of unrealized loss on investments [Line Items]	'	'
Available-for-sale Securities, Continuous Unrealized Loss Position, Less than Twelve Months, Fair Value	$139,207	$269,357
Available-for-sale Securities, Continuous Unrealized Loss Position, Less than 12 Months, Aggregate Losses	-7,323	15,577
Available-for-sale Securities, Continuous Unrealized Loss Position, Twelve Months or Longer, Fair Value	215,681	122,667
Available-for-sale Securities, Continuous Unrealized Loss Position, 12 Months or Longer, Aggregate Losses	-34,999	39,249
Available-for-sale Securities, Continuous Unrealized Loss Position, Fair Value	354,888	392,024
Available-for-sale Securities, Continuous Unrealized Loss Position, Aggregate Losses	-42,322	-54,826
US Treasury Securities	'	'
Schedule of unrealized loss on investments [Line Items]	'	'
Available-for-sale Securities, Continuous Unrealized Loss Position, Less than Twelve Months, Fair Value	10,545	45,120
Available-for-sale Securities, Continuous Unrealized Loss Position, Less than 12 Months, Aggregate Losses	-297	-6,040
Available-for-sale Securities, Continuous Unrealized Loss Position, Twelve Months or Longer, Fair Value	56,621	25,043
Available-for-sale Securities, Continuous Unrealized Loss Position, 12 Months or Longer, Aggregate Losses	-5,024	-2,836
Available-for-sale Securities, Continuous Unrealized Loss Position, Fair Value	67,166	70,163
Available-for-sale Securities, Continuous Unrealized Loss Position, Aggregate Losses	5,321	-8,876
Foreign Government Debt Securities	'	'
Schedule of unrealized loss on investments [Line Items]	'	'
Available-for-sale Securities, Continuous Unrealized Loss Position, Less than Twelve Months, Fair Value	9,798	9,424
Available-for-sale Securities, Continuous Unrealized Loss Position, Less than 12 Months, Aggregate Losses	-59	-120
Available-for-sale Securities, Continuous Unrealized Loss Position, Twelve Months or Longer, Fair Value	2,688	3,066
Available-for-sale Securities, Continuous Unrealized Loss Position, 12 Months or Longer, Aggregate Losses	-71	-141
Available-for-sale Securities, Continuous Unrealized Loss Position, Fair Value	12,486	12,490
Available-for-sale Securities, Continuous Unrealized Loss Position, Aggregate Losses	130	-261
Corporate Debt Securities	'	'
Schedule of unrealized loss on investments [Line Items]	'	'
Available-for-sale Securities, Continuous Unrealized Loss Position, Less than Twelve Months, Fair Value	10,069	15,050
Available-for-sale Securities, Continuous Unrealized Loss Position, Less than 12 Months, Aggregate Losses	-316	-424
Available-for-sale Securities, Continuous Unrealized Loss Position, Twelve Months or Longer, Fair Value	3,532	3,073
Available-for-sale Securities, Continuous Unrealized Loss Position, 12 Months or Longer, Aggregate Losses	-180	-222
Available-for-sale Securities, Continuous Unrealized Loss Position, Fair Value	13,601	18,123
Available-for-sale Securities, Continuous Unrealized Loss Position, Aggregate Losses	496	-646
Residential Mortgage Backed Securities	'	'
Schedule of unrealized loss on investments [Line Items]	'	'
Available-for-sale Securities, Continuous Unrealized Loss Position, Less than Twelve Months, Fair Value	16	145
Available-for-sale Securities, Continuous Unrealized Loss Position, Less than 12 Months, Aggregate Losses	0	-2
Available-for-sale Securities, Continuous Unrealized Loss Position, Twelve Months or Longer, Fair Value	46	2
Available-for-sale Securities, Continuous Unrealized Loss Position, 12 Months or Longer, Aggregate Losses	-2	0
Available-for-sale Securities, Continuous Unrealized Loss Position, Fair Value	62	147
Available-for-sale Securities, Continuous Unrealized Loss Position, Aggregate Losses	-2	-2
Asset-backed Securities	'	'
Schedule of unrealized loss on investments [Line Items]	'	'
Available-for-sale Securities, Continuous Unrealized Loss Position, Less than Twelve Months, Fair Value	'	3,257
Available-for-sale Securities, Continuous Unrealized Loss Position, Less than 12 Months, Aggregate Losses	'	-13
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	'	3,257
Available-for-sale Securities, Continuous Unrealized Loss Position, Aggregate Losses	'	-13
Preferred Stock Securities	'	'
Schedule of unrealized loss on investments [Line Items]	'	'
Available-for-sale Securities, Continuous Unrealized Loss Position, Less than Twelve Months, Fair Value	1,469	5,604
Available-for-sale Securities, Continuous Unrealized Loss Position, Less than 12 Months, Aggregate Losses	-31	-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	1,469	5,604
Available-for-sale Securities, Continuous Unrealized Loss Position, Aggregate Losses	31	-123
US Common Stock Securities	'	'
Schedule of unrealized loss on investments [Line Items]	'	'
Available-for-sale Securities, Continuous Unrealized Loss Position, Less than Twelve Months, Fair Value	69,634	46,317
Available-for-sale Securities, Continuous Unrealized Loss Position, Less than 12 Months, Aggregate Losses	-5,750	-2,648
Available-for-sale Securities, Continuous Unrealized Loss Position, Twelve Months or Longer, Fair Value	4,315	3,489
Available-for-sale Securities, Continuous Unrealized Loss Position, 12 Months or Longer, Aggregate Losses	-264	-583
Available-for-sale Securities, Continuous Unrealized Loss Position, Fair Value	73,949	49,806
Available-for-sale Securities, Continuous Unrealized Loss Position, Aggregate Losses	6,014	-3,231
Canada Common Stock Securities	'	'
Schedule of unrealized loss on investments [Line Items]	'	'
Available-for-sale Securities, Continuous Unrealized Loss Position, Less than Twelve Months, Fair Value	940	1,569
Available-for-sale Securities, Continuous Unrealized Loss Position, Less than 12 Months, Aggregate Losses	-79	-502
Available-for-sale Securities, Continuous Unrealized Loss Position, Twelve Months or Longer, Fair Value	2,146	1,935
Available-for-sale Securities, Continuous Unrealized Loss Position, 12 Months or Longer, Aggregate Losses	-577	-433
Available-for-sale Securities, Continuous Unrealized Loss Position, Fair Value	3,086	3,504
Available-for-sale Securities, Continuous Unrealized Loss Position, Aggregate Losses	656	-935
Other International Common Stock Securities	'	'
Schedule of unrealized loss on investments [Line Items]	'	'
Available-for-sale Securities, Continuous Unrealized Loss Position, Less than Twelve Months, Fair Value	5,763	4,344
Available-for-sale Securities, Continuous Unrealized Loss Position, Less than 12 Months, Aggregate Losses	-493	-124
Available-for-sale Securities, Continuous Unrealized Loss Position, Twelve Months or Longer, Fair Value	765	702
Available-for-sale Securities, Continuous Unrealized Loss Position, 12 Months or Longer, Aggregate Losses	-35	-76
Available-for-sale Securities, Continuous Unrealized Loss Position, Fair Value	6,528	5,046
Available-for-sale Securities, Continuous Unrealized Loss Position, Aggregate Losses	528	-200
Equity Funds	'	'
Schedule of unrealized loss on investments [Line Items]	'	'
Available-for-sale Securities, Continuous Unrealized Loss Position, Less than Twelve Months, Fair Value	15,779	3,858
Available-for-sale Securities, Continuous Unrealized Loss Position, Less than 12 Months, Aggregate Losses	-109	-54
Available-for-sale Securities, Continuous Unrealized Loss Position, Twelve Months or Longer, Fair Value	14,532	14,477
Available-for-sale Securities, Continuous Unrealized Loss Position, 12 Months or Longer, Aggregate Losses	-913	-1,650
Available-for-sale Securities, Continuous Unrealized Loss Position, Fair Value	30,311	18,335
Available-for-sale Securities, Continuous Unrealized Loss Position, Aggregate Losses	1,022	-1,704
Fixed Income Funds	'	'
Schedule of unrealized loss on investments [Line Items]	'	'
Available-for-sale Securities, Continuous Unrealized Loss Position, Less than Twelve Months, Fair Value	15,194	134,669
Available-for-sale Securities, Continuous Unrealized Loss Position, Less than 12 Months, Aggregate Losses	-189	-5,527
Available-for-sale Securities, Continuous Unrealized Loss Position, Twelve Months or Longer, Fair Value	125,779	64,009
Available-for-sale Securities, Continuous Unrealized Loss Position, 12 Months or Longer, Aggregate Losses	-24,023	-28,122
Available-for-sale Securities, Continuous Unrealized Loss Position, Fair Value	140,973	198,678
Available-for-sale Securities, Continuous Unrealized Loss Position, Aggregate Losses	24,212	-33,649
Private Equity Funds	'	'
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	5,257	6,589
Available-for-sale Securities, Continuous Unrealized Loss Position, 12 Months or Longer, Aggregate Losses	-3,910	-5,153
Available-for-sale Securities, Continuous Unrealized Loss Position, Fair Value	5,257	6,589
Available-for-sale Securities, Continuous Unrealized Loss Position, Aggregate Losses	3,910	-5,153
Other Investments	'	'
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		6 Months Ended
	Jun. 30, 2014	Jun. 30, 2013	Jun. 30, 2014	Jun. 30, 2013
Other than Temporary Impairment Losses, Investments, Portion Recognized in Earnings, Net	$305,000	$1,512,000	$935,000	$2,132,000
Cemetery	'	'	'	'
Fair Value, Measurement with unobservable inputs, risk discount, low end of the range	0.00%	'	0.00%	'
Fair Value, Measurement with unobservable inputs, risk discount, high end of the range	20.00%	'	20.00%	'
Fair Value, Measurement with unobservable inputs, liquidity discount, low end of the range	0.00%	'	0.00%	'
Fair Value, Measurement with unobservable inputs, liquidity discount, high end of the range	10.00%	'	10.00%	'
Fair Value, Investments, Entities that Calculate Net Asset Value Per Share, Unfunded Commitments	6,800,000	'	6,800,000	'
Investment Earnings, Net	12,400,000	9,700,000	24,000,000	18,900,000
Other than Temporary Impairment Losses, Investments, Portion Recognized in Earnings, Net	$179,000	$940,000	$518,000	$1,297,000
Underlying assets liquidation range, minimum	'	'	'2 years	'
Underlying assets liquidation range, maximum	'	'	'10 years	'

Cemetery_Perpetual_Care_Trusts2

Cemetery Perpetual Care Trusts Investment Related Activities (Details) (USD $)	3 Months Ended		6 Months Ended
In Thousands, unless otherwise specified	Jun. 30, 2014	Jun. 30, 2013	Jun. 30, 2014	Jun. 30, 2013
Investment related activities [Line Items]	'	'	'	'
Realized gains from sales of available-for-sale securities	$46,390	$52,192	$93,068	$83,921
Realized losses from sales of available-for-sale securities	-6,818	-11,770	-10,928	-15,983
Cemetery Perpetual Care	'	'	'	'
Investment related activities [Line Items]	'	'	'	'
Deposits	8,400	5,422	20,237	13,650
Withdrawals	9,314	7,052	15,199	16,621
Purchases of available-for-sale securities	24,927	55,395	63,822	90,447
Sales of available-for-sale securities	49,001	29,261	79,073	56,751
Realized gains from sales of available-for-sale securities	9,824	5,119	14,869	8,901
Realized losses from sales of available-for-sale securities	($327)	($440)	($664)	($762)

Cemetery_Perpetual_Care_Trusts3

Cemetery Perpetual Care Trusts Long-term Receivable and Investment (Details) (USD $)	6 Months Ended	12 Months Ended
In Thousands, unless otherwise specified	Jun. 30, 2014	Dec. 31, 2013
Long-term receivable and investment components [Line Items]	'	'
Assets of Disposal Group, Including Discontinued Operation, Current	$2,979	$4,750
Cemetery perpetual care trust investments	1,405,074	1,344,322
Cemetery Perpetual Care	'	'
Long-term receivable and investment components [Line Items]	'	'
Available-for-sale Securities, Continuous Unrealized Loss Position, Less than Twelve Months, Fair Value	102,171	268,219
Available-for-sale Securities, Continuous Unrealized Loss Position, Less than 12 Months, Aggregate Losses	-1,304	-4,478
Available-for-sale Securities, Continuous Unrealized Loss Position, Twelve Months or Longer, Fair Value	59,433	71,742
Available-for-sale Securities, Continuous Unrealized Loss Position, 12 Months or Longer, Aggregate Losses	-6,214	-11,136
Available-for-sale Securities, Continuous Unrealized Loss Position, Fair Value	161,604	339,961
Available-for-sale Securities, Continuous Unrealized Loss Position, Aggregate Losses	-7,518	-15,614
Trust investments, at market	1,379,544	1,352,539
Restricted Cash	104,957	78,509
Assets of Disposal Group, Including Discontinued Operation, Current	-79,427	-86,726
Cemetery perpetual care trust investments	1,405,074	1,344,322
Asset-backed Securities | Cemetery Perpetual Care	'	'
Long-term receivable and investment components [Line Items]	'	'
Available-for-sale Securities, Continuous Unrealized Loss Position, Less than Twelve Months, Fair Value	405	2,835
Available-for-sale Securities, Continuous Unrealized Loss Position, Less than 12 Months, Aggregate Losses	-5	-10
Available-for-sale Securities, Continuous Unrealized Loss Position, Twelve Months or Longer, Fair Value	32	15
Available-for-sale Securities, Continuous Unrealized Loss Position, 12 Months or Longer, Aggregate Losses	0	-1
Available-for-sale Securities, Continuous Unrealized Loss Position, Fair Value	437	2,850
Available-for-sale Securities, Continuous Unrealized Loss Position, Aggregate Losses	($5)	($11)

Cemetery_Perpetual_Care_Trusts4

Cemetery Perpetual Care Trusts Schedule of Available-for-sale Securities (Details) (Cemetery Perpetual Care, USD $)	6 Months Ended	12 Months Ended
In Thousands, unless otherwise specified	Jun. 30, 2014	Dec. 31, 2013
Schedule of Available-for-sale Securities [Line Items]	'	'
Available-for-sale Securities, Amortized Cost Basis	$1,255,874	$1,266,716
Available-for-sale Securities, Gross Unrealized Gains	131,188	101,437
Available-for-sale Securities, Gross Unrealized Losses	-7,518	-15,614
Available-for-sale Securities, Fair Value	1,379,544	1,352,539
Fair Value, Inputs, Level 2 | US Treasury Securities	'	'
Schedule of Available-for-sale Securities [Line Items]	'	'
Available-for-sale Securities, Amortized Cost Basis	1,260	1,588
Available-for-sale Securities, Gross Unrealized Gains	22	9
Available-for-sale Securities, Gross Unrealized Losses	-10	-14
Available-for-sale Securities, Fair Value	1,272	1,583
Fair Value, Inputs, Level 2 | Foreign Government Debt Securities	'	'
Schedule of Available-for-sale Securities [Line Items]	'	'
Available-for-sale Securities, Amortized Cost Basis	30,104	28,487
Available-for-sale Securities, Gross Unrealized Gains	359	301
Available-for-sale Securities, Gross Unrealized Losses	-230	-459
Available-for-sale Securities, Fair Value	30,233	28,329
Fair Value, Inputs, Level 2 | Corporate Debt Securities	'	'
Schedule of Available-for-sale Securities [Line Items]	'	'
Available-for-sale Securities, Amortized Cost Basis	24,351	43,196
Available-for-sale Securities, Gross Unrealized Gains	498	312
Available-for-sale Securities, Gross Unrealized Losses	-344	-263
Available-for-sale Securities, Fair Value	24,505	43,245
Fair Value, Inputs, Level 2 | Residential Mortgage Backed Securities	'	'
Schedule of Available-for-sale Securities [Line Items]	'	'
Available-for-sale Securities, Amortized Cost Basis	1,335	4,258
Available-for-sale Securities, Gross Unrealized Gains	23	14
Available-for-sale Securities, Gross Unrealized Losses	-10	-19
Available-for-sale Securities, Fair Value	1,348	4,253
Fair Value, Inputs, Level 2 | Asset-backed Securities	'	'
Schedule of Available-for-sale Securities [Line Items]	'	'
Available-for-sale Securities, Amortized Cost Basis	1,988	3,006
Available-for-sale Securities, Gross Unrealized Gains	64	5
Available-for-sale Securities, Gross Unrealized Losses	5	-11
Available-for-sale Securities, Fair Value	2,047	3,000
Fair Value, Inputs, Level 2 | Preferred Stock Securities	'	'
Schedule of Available-for-sale Securities [Line Items]	'	'
Available-for-sale Securities, Amortized Cost Basis	9,416	25,952
Available-for-sale Securities, Gross Unrealized Gains	647	192
Available-for-sale Securities, Gross Unrealized Losses	-2	-252
Available-for-sale Securities, Fair Value	10,061	25,892
Fair Value, Inputs, Level 1 | US Common Stock Securities	'	'
Schedule of Available-for-sale Securities [Line Items]	'	'
Available-for-sale Securities, Amortized Cost Basis	198,797	231,156
Available-for-sale Securities, Gross Unrealized Gains	57,359	53,782
Available-for-sale Securities, Gross Unrealized Losses	-1,027	-2,087
Available-for-sale Securities, Fair Value	255,129	282,851
Fair Value, Inputs, Level 1 | Canada Common Stock Securities	'	'
Schedule of Available-for-sale Securities [Line Items]	'	'
Available-for-sale Securities, Amortized Cost Basis	7,166	8,846
Available-for-sale Securities, Gross Unrealized Gains	2,724	2,222
Available-for-sale Securities, Gross Unrealized Losses	-418	-623
Available-for-sale Securities, Fair Value	9,472	10,445
Fair Value, Inputs, Level 1 | Other International Common Stock Securities	'	'
Schedule of Available-for-sale Securities [Line Items]	'	'
Available-for-sale Securities, Amortized Cost Basis	13,031	20,676
Available-for-sale Securities, Gross Unrealized Gains	2,173	1,319
Available-for-sale Securities, Gross Unrealized Losses	-78	-167
Available-for-sale Securities, Fair Value	15,126	21,828
Fair Value, Inputs, Level 1 | Equity Funds	'	'
Schedule of Available-for-sale Securities [Line Items]	'	'
Available-for-sale Securities, Amortized Cost Basis	57,472	41,282
Available-for-sale Securities, Gross Unrealized Gains	6,980	5,693
Available-for-sale Securities, Gross Unrealized Losses	-381	-35
Available-for-sale Securities, Fair Value	64,071	46,940
Fair Value, Inputs, Level 1 | Fixed Income Funds	'	'
Schedule of Available-for-sale Securities [Line Items]	'	'
Available-for-sale Securities, Amortized Cost Basis	877,712	819,439
Available-for-sale Securities, Gross Unrealized Gains	55,818	35,963
Available-for-sale Securities, Gross Unrealized Losses	-510	-2,598
Available-for-sale Securities, Fair Value	933,020	852,804
Fair Value, Inputs, Level 3 | Private Equity Funds	'	'
Schedule of Available-for-sale Securities [Line Items]	'	'
Available-for-sale Securities, Amortized Cost Basis	23,591	28,309
Available-for-sale Securities, Gross Unrealized Gains	2,177	472
Available-for-sale Securities, Gross Unrealized Losses	-4,494	-9,002
Available-for-sale Securities, Fair Value	21,274	19,779
Fair Value, Inputs, Level 3 | Other Investments	'	'
Schedule of Available-for-sale Securities [Line Items]	'	'
Available-for-sale Securities, Amortized Cost Basis	9,651	10,521
Available-for-sale Securities, Gross Unrealized Gains	2,344	1,153
Available-for-sale Securities, Gross Unrealized Losses	-9	-84
Available-for-sale Securities, Fair Value	$11,986	$11,590

Cemetery_Perpetual_Care_Trusts5

Cemetery Perpetual Care Trusts Level 3 Activities (Details) (Cemetery Perpetual Care, USD $)	3 Months Ended				6 Months Ended
In Thousands, unless otherwise specified	Jun. 30, 2014		Jun. 30, 2013		Jun. 30, 2014		Jun. 30, 2013
Private Equity Funds	'		'		'		'
Fair Value, Assets Measured on Recurring Basis, Unobservable Input Reconciliation, Calculation [Roll Forward]	'		'		'		'
Fair market value, beginning balance	$20,806		$16,454		$19,779		$11,122
Net unrealized (losses) gains included in Accumulated other comprehensive income	570	[1]	20	[1]	1,297	[1]	6,089	[1]
Net realized gains (losses) included in Other income, net(2)	-12	[2]	-13	[2]	-24	[2]	-95	[2]
Sales	'		'		-17		0
Contributions	709		2,316		1,403		2,317
Distributions and other	-799		-128		-1,164		-784
Fair market value, ending balance	21,274		18,649		21,274		18,649
Other Investments	'		'		'		'
Fair Value, Assets Measured on Recurring Basis, Unobservable Input Reconciliation, Calculation [Roll Forward]	'		'		'		'
Fair market value, beginning balance	11,712		10,342		11,590		7,659
Net unrealized (losses) gains included in Accumulated other comprehensive income	553	[1]	705	[1]	681	[1]	3,434	[1]
Net realized gains (losses) included in Other income, net(2)	-6	[2]	-7	[2]	-12	[2]	-53	[2]
Sales	'		'		0		0
Contributions	0		0		0		0
Distributions and other	-273		-225		-273		-225
Fair market value, ending balance	$11,986		$10,815		$11,986		$10,815
[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, USD $)	Jun. 30, 2014
In Thousands, unless otherwise specified
Cemetery Perpetual Care	'
Investments Classified By Contractual Maturity Date [Line Items]	'
Available-for-sale Securities, Debt Maturities, within One Year, Fair Value	$17,799
Available-for-sale Securities, Debt Maturities, after One Through Five Years, Fair Value	28,710
Available-for-sale Securities, Debt Maturities, after Five Through Ten Years, Fair Value	11,753
Available-for-sale Securities, Debt Maturities, after Ten Years, Fair Value	1,143
Available-for-sale Securities, Debt Maturities, Total, Fair Value	$59,405

Cemetery_Perpetual_Care_Trusts7

Cemetery Perpetual Care Trusts Schedule of Unrealized Loss on Investments (Details) (Cemetery Perpetual Care, USD $)	6 Months Ended	12 Months Ended
In Thousands, unless otherwise specified	Jun. 30, 2014	Dec. 31, 2013
Schedule of unrealized loss on investments [Line Items]	'	'
Available-for-sale Securities, Continuous Unrealized Loss Position, Less than Twelve Months, Fair Value	$102,171	$268,219
Available-for-sale Securities, Continuous Unrealized Loss Position, Less than 12 Months, Aggregate Losses	-1,304	-4,478
Available-for-sale Securities, Continuous Unrealized Loss Position, Twelve Months or Longer, Fair Value	59,433	71,742
Available-for-sale Securities, Continuous Unrealized Loss Position, 12 Months or Longer, Aggregate Losses	-6,214	-11,136
Available-for-sale Securities, Continuous Unrealized Loss Position, Fair Value	161,604	339,961
Available-for-sale Securities, Continuous Unrealized Loss Position, Aggregate Losses	-7,518	-15,614
US Treasury Securities	'	'
Schedule of unrealized loss on investments [Line Items]	'	'
Available-for-sale Securities, Continuous Unrealized Loss Position, Less than Twelve Months, Fair Value	855	1,339
Available-for-sale Securities, Continuous Unrealized Loss Position, Less than 12 Months, Aggregate Losses	-9	-14
Available-for-sale Securities, Continuous Unrealized Loss Position, Twelve Months or Longer, Fair Value	8	20
Available-for-sale Securities, Continuous Unrealized Loss Position, 12 Months or Longer, Aggregate Losses	-1	0
Available-for-sale Securities, Continuous Unrealized Loss Position, Fair Value	863	1,359
Available-for-sale Securities, Continuous Unrealized Loss Position, Aggregate Losses	-10	-14
Foreign Government Debt Securities	'	'
Schedule of unrealized loss on investments [Line Items]	'	'
Available-for-sale Securities, Continuous Unrealized Loss Position, Less than Twelve Months, Fair Value	15,559	15,777
Available-for-sale Securities, Continuous Unrealized Loss Position, Less than 12 Months, Aggregate Losses	-105	-214
Available-for-sale Securities, Continuous Unrealized Loss Position, Twelve Months or Longer, Fair Value	4,400	5,131
Available-for-sale Securities, Continuous Unrealized Loss Position, 12 Months or Longer, Aggregate Losses	-125	-245
Available-for-sale Securities, Continuous Unrealized Loss Position, Fair Value	19,959	20,908
Available-for-sale Securities, Continuous Unrealized Loss Position, Aggregate Losses	-230	-459
Corporate Debt Securities	'	'
Schedule of unrealized loss on investments [Line Items]	'	'
Available-for-sale Securities, Continuous Unrealized Loss Position, Less than Twelve Months, Fair Value	7,226	22,534
Available-for-sale Securities, Continuous Unrealized Loss Position, Less than 12 Months, Aggregate Losses	-99	-129
Available-for-sale Securities, Continuous Unrealized Loss Position, Twelve Months or Longer, Fair Value	4,981	3,299
Available-for-sale Securities, Continuous Unrealized Loss Position, 12 Months or Longer, Aggregate Losses	-245	-134
Available-for-sale Securities, Continuous Unrealized Loss Position, Fair Value	12,207	25,833
Available-for-sale Securities, Continuous Unrealized Loss Position, Aggregate Losses	-344	-263
Residential Mortgage Backed Securities	'	'
Schedule of unrealized loss on investments [Line Items]	'	'
Available-for-sale Securities, Continuous Unrealized Loss Position, Less than Twelve Months, Fair Value	86	2,960
Available-for-sale Securities, Continuous Unrealized Loss Position, Less than 12 Months, Aggregate Losses	-2	-18
Available-for-sale Securities, Continuous Unrealized Loss Position, Twelve Months or Longer, Fair Value	251	10
Available-for-sale Securities, Continuous Unrealized Loss Position, 12 Months or Longer, Aggregate Losses	-8	-1
Available-for-sale Securities, Continuous Unrealized Loss Position, Fair Value	337	2,970
Available-for-sale Securities, Continuous Unrealized Loss Position, Aggregate Losses	-10	-19
Asset-backed Securities	'	'
Schedule of unrealized loss on investments [Line Items]	'	'
Available-for-sale Securities, Continuous Unrealized Loss Position, Less than Twelve Months, Fair Value	405	2,835
Available-for-sale Securities, Continuous Unrealized Loss Position, Less than 12 Months, Aggregate Losses	-5	-10
Available-for-sale Securities, Continuous Unrealized Loss Position, Twelve Months or Longer, Fair Value	32	15
Available-for-sale Securities, Continuous Unrealized Loss Position, 12 Months or Longer, Aggregate Losses	0	-1
Available-for-sale Securities, Continuous Unrealized Loss Position, Fair Value	437	2,850
Available-for-sale Securities, Continuous Unrealized Loss Position, Aggregate Losses	-5	-11
Preferred Stock Securities	'	'
Schedule of unrealized loss on investments [Line Items]	'	'
Available-for-sale Securities, Continuous Unrealized Loss Position, Less than Twelve Months, Fair Value	0	14,650
Available-for-sale Securities, Continuous Unrealized Loss Position, Less than 12 Months, Aggregate Losses	0	-245
Available-for-sale Securities, Continuous Unrealized Loss Position, Twelve Months or Longer, Fair Value	50	44
Available-for-sale Securities, Continuous Unrealized Loss Position, 12 Months or Longer, Aggregate Losses	-2	-7
Available-for-sale Securities, Continuous Unrealized Loss Position, Fair Value	50	14,694
Available-for-sale Securities, Continuous Unrealized Loss Position, Aggregate Losses	-2	-252
US Common Stock Securities	'	'
Schedule of unrealized loss on investments [Line Items]	'	'
Available-for-sale Securities, Continuous Unrealized Loss Position, Less than Twelve Months, Fair Value	13,690	23,825
Available-for-sale Securities, Continuous Unrealized Loss Position, Less than 12 Months, Aggregate Losses	-542	-1,561
Available-for-sale Securities, Continuous Unrealized Loss Position, Twelve Months or Longer, Fair Value	4,910	3,254
Available-for-sale Securities, Continuous Unrealized Loss Position, 12 Months or Longer, Aggregate Losses	-485	-526
Available-for-sale Securities, Continuous Unrealized Loss Position, Fair Value	18,600	27,079
Available-for-sale Securities, Continuous Unrealized Loss Position, Aggregate Losses	-1,027	-2,087
Canada Common Stock Securities	'	'
Schedule of unrealized loss on investments [Line Items]	'	'
Available-for-sale Securities, Continuous Unrealized Loss Position, Less than Twelve Months, Fair Value	145	667
Available-for-sale Securities, Continuous Unrealized Loss Position, Less than 12 Months, Aggregate Losses	-6	-129
Available-for-sale Securities, Continuous Unrealized Loss Position, Twelve Months or Longer, Fair Value	1,490	1,794
Available-for-sale Securities, Continuous Unrealized Loss Position, 12 Months or Longer, Aggregate Losses	-412	-494
Available-for-sale Securities, Continuous Unrealized Loss Position, Fair Value	1,635	2,461
Available-for-sale Securities, Continuous Unrealized Loss Position, Aggregate Losses	-418	-623
Other International Common Stock Securities	'	'
Schedule of unrealized loss on investments [Line Items]	'	'
Available-for-sale Securities, Continuous Unrealized Loss Position, Less than Twelve Months, Fair Value	527	1,540
Available-for-sale Securities, Continuous Unrealized Loss Position, Less than 12 Months, Aggregate Losses	-11	-54
Available-for-sale Securities, Continuous Unrealized Loss Position, Twelve Months or Longer, Fair Value	451	525
Available-for-sale Securities, Continuous Unrealized Loss Position, 12 Months or Longer, Aggregate Losses	-67	-113
Available-for-sale Securities, Continuous Unrealized Loss Position, Fair Value	978	2,065
Available-for-sale Securities, Continuous Unrealized Loss Position, Aggregate Losses	-78	-167
Equity Funds	'	'
Schedule of unrealized loss on investments [Line Items]	'	'
Available-for-sale Securities, Continuous Unrealized Loss Position, Less than Twelve Months, Fair Value	28,576	391
Available-for-sale Securities, Continuous Unrealized Loss Position, Less than 12 Months, Aggregate Losses	-373	-14
Available-for-sale Securities, Continuous Unrealized Loss Position, Twelve Months or Longer, Fair Value	131	163
Available-for-sale Securities, Continuous Unrealized Loss Position, 12 Months or Longer, Aggregate Losses	-8	-21
Available-for-sale Securities, Continuous Unrealized Loss Position, Fair Value	28,707	554
Available-for-sale Securities, Continuous Unrealized Loss Position, Aggregate Losses	-381	-35
Fixed Income Funds	'	'
Schedule of unrealized loss on investments [Line Items]	'	'
Available-for-sale Securities, Continuous Unrealized Loss Position, Less than Twelve Months, Fair Value	35,090	181,701
Available-for-sale Securities, Continuous Unrealized Loss Position, Less than 12 Months, Aggregate Losses	-143	-2,090
Available-for-sale Securities, Continuous Unrealized Loss Position, Twelve Months or Longer, Fair Value	28,926	28,507
Available-for-sale Securities, Continuous Unrealized Loss Position, 12 Months or Longer, Aggregate Losses	-367	-508
Available-for-sale Securities, Continuous Unrealized Loss Position, Fair Value	64,016	210,208
Available-for-sale Securities, Continuous Unrealized Loss Position, Aggregate Losses	-510	-2,598
Private Equity Funds	'	'
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	9,262	19,242
Available-for-sale Securities, Continuous Unrealized Loss Position, 12 Months or Longer, Aggregate Losses	-4,494	-9,002
Available-for-sale Securities, Continuous Unrealized Loss Position, Fair Value	9,262	19,242
Available-for-sale Securities, Continuous Unrealized Loss Position, Aggregate Losses	-4,494	-9,002
Other Investments	'	'
Schedule of unrealized loss on investments [Line Items]	'	'
Available-for-sale Securities, Continuous Unrealized Loss Position, Less than Twelve Months, Fair Value	12	0
Available-for-sale Securities, Continuous Unrealized Loss Position, Less than 12 Months, Aggregate Losses	-9	0
Available-for-sale Securities, Continuous Unrealized Loss Position, Twelve Months or Longer, Fair Value	4,541	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	4,553	9,738
Available-for-sale Securities, Continuous Unrealized Loss Position, Aggregate Losses	($9)	($84)

Cemetery_Perpetual_Care_Trusts8

Cemetery Perpetual Care Trusts Cemetery Perpetual Care Trusts, Textuals (Details) (USD $)	3 Months Ended		6 Months Ended
	Jun. 30, 2014	Jun. 30, 2013	Jun. 30, 2014	Jun. 30, 2013
Other than Temporary Impairment Losses, Investments, Portion Recognized in Earnings, Net	($305,000)	($1,512,000)	($935,000)	($2,132,000)
Cemetery Perpetual Care	'	'	'	'
Fair Value, Measurement with unobservable inputs, risk discount, low end of the range	0.00%	'	0.00%	'
Fair Value, Measurement with unobservable inputs, risk discount, high end of the range	20.00%	'	20.00%	'
Fair Value, Measurement with unobservable inputs, liquidity discount, low end of the range	0.00%	'	0.00%	'
Fair Value, Measurement with unobservable inputs, liquidity discount, high end of the range	10.00%	'	10.00%	'
Investment Earnings, Net	15,100,000	11,700,000	29,000,000	21,700,000
Other than Temporary Impairment Losses, Investments, Portion Recognized in Earnings, Net	($7,000)	($126,000)	($47,000)	($189,000)
Underlying assets liquidation range, minimum	'	'	'2 years	'
Underlying assets liquidation range, maximum	'	'	'10 years	'

Deferred_Preneed_Funeral_and_C2

Deferred Preneed Funeral and Cemetery Receipts Held in Trust and Care Trusts' Corpus (Details) (USD $)	3 Months Ended		6 Months Ended
In Thousands, unless otherwise specified	Jun. 30, 2014	Jun. 30, 2013	Jun. 30, 2014	Jun. 30, 2013	Dec. 31, 2013
Component of Other Income, Nonoperating [Line Items]	'	'	'	'	'
Deferred preneed funeral and cemetery receipts held in trust, excluding accrued expenses	$3,335,023	'	$3,335,023	'	$3,232,640
Accrued trust operating payables and other	-4,063	'	-4,063	'	-2,806
Deferred preneed funeral and cemetery receipts held in trust	3,330,960	'	3,330,960	'	3,229,834
Care trusts’ corpus	1,404,267	'	1,404,267	'	1,342,574
Realized gains from sales of available-for-sale securities	46,390	52,192	93,068	83,921	'
Realized losses from sales of available-for-sale securities	-6,818	-11,770	-10,928	-15,983	'
Other than Temporary Impairment Losses, Investments, Portion Recognized in Earnings, Net	-305	-1,512	-935	-2,132	'
Interest, dividend, and other ordinary income	25,266	30,905	42,921	40,340	'
Trust expenses and income taxes	-11,482	-6,753	-22,311	-13,378	'
Net trust investment income	53,051	63,062	101,815	92,768	'
Investment Income, Nonoperating, Effect on Deferred Preneed Receipts Held in Trust and Care Trust Corpus'	-53,051	-63,062	-101,815	-92,768	'
Other income, net	50	-695	1,586	-1,680	'
Total other income, net	50	-695	1,586	-1,680	'
Funeral	'	'	'	'	'
Component of Other Income, Nonoperating [Line Items]	'	'	'	'	'
Deferred preneed funeral and cemetery receipts held in trust, excluding accrued expenses	1,678,206	'	1,678,206	'	1,647,273
Accrued trust operating payables and other	-1,801	'	-1,801	'	-1,108
Deferred preneed funeral and cemetery receipts held in trust	1,676,405	'	1,676,405	'	1,646,165
Realized gains from sales of available-for-sale securities	15,911	17,330	32,012	28,701	'
Realized losses from sales of available-for-sale securities	-2,665	-4,445	-4,139	-6,166	'
Other than Temporary Impairment Losses, Investments, Portion Recognized in Earnings, Net	-119	-446	-370	-646	'
Interest, dividend, and other ordinary income	7,900	14,206	13,474	16,023	'
Trust expenses and income taxes	-4,978	-2,657	-9,445	-5,038	'
Net trust investment income	16,049	23,988	31,532	32,874	'
Investment Income, Nonoperating, Effect on Deferred Preneed Receipts Held in Trust and Care Trust Corpus'	-16,049	-23,988	-31,532	-32,874	'
Other income, net	0	0	0	0	'
Total other income, net	0	0	0	0	'
Cemetery	'	'	'	'	'
Component of Other Income, Nonoperating [Line Items]	'	'	'	'	'
Deferred preneed funeral and cemetery receipts held in trust, excluding accrued expenses	'	'	'	'	1,585,367
Accrued trust operating payables and other	-2,262	'	-2,262	'	-1,698
Deferred preneed funeral and cemetery receipts held in trust	1,654,555	'	1,654,555	'	1,583,669
Realized gains from sales of available-for-sale securities	20,655	29,743	46,187	46,319	'
Realized losses from sales of available-for-sale securities	-3,826	-6,885	-6,125	-9,055	'
Other than Temporary Impairment Losses, Investments, Portion Recognized in Earnings, Net	-179	-940	-518	-1,297	'
Interest, dividend, and other ordinary income	4,981	8,915	7,476	10,444	'
Trust expenses and income taxes	-4,377	-3,087	-9,192	-6,756	'
Net trust investment income	17,254	27,746	37,828	39,655	'
Investment Income, Nonoperating, Effect on Deferred Preneed Receipts Held in Trust and Care Trust Corpus'	-17,254	-27,746	-37,828	-39,655	'
Other income, net	0	0	0	0	'
Total other income, net	0	0	0	0	'
Cemetery Perpetual Care	'	'	'	'	'
Component of Other Income, Nonoperating [Line Items]	'	'	'	'	'
Accrued trust operating payables and other	-807	'	-807	'	-1,748
Care trusts' corpus, excluding accrued expenses	1,405,074	'	1,405,074	'	1,344,322
Care trusts’ corpus	1,404,267	'	1,404,267	'	1,342,574
Realized gains from sales of available-for-sale securities	9,824	5,119	14,869	8,901	'
Realized losses from sales of available-for-sale securities	-327	-440	-664	-762	'
Other than Temporary Impairment Losses, Investments, Portion Recognized in Earnings, Net	-7	-126	-47	-189	'
Interest, dividend, and other ordinary income	12,385	7,784	21,971	13,873	'
Trust expenses and income taxes	-2,127	-1,009	-3,674	-1,584	'
Net trust investment income	19,748	11,328	32,455	20,239	'
Investment Income, Nonoperating, Effect on Deferred Preneed Receipts Held in Trust and Care Trust Corpus'	-19,748	-11,328	-32,455	-20,239	'
Other income, net	0	0	0	0	'
Total other income, net	0	0	0	0	'
Intersegment Eliminations	'	'	'	'	'
Component of Other Income, Nonoperating [Line Items]	'	'	'	'	'
Realized gains from sales of available-for-sale securities	0	0	0	0	'
Realized losses from sales of available-for-sale securities	0	0	0	0	'
Other than Temporary Impairment Losses, Investments, Portion Recognized in Earnings, Net	0	0	0	0	'
Interest, dividend, and other ordinary income	0	0	0	0	'
Trust expenses and income taxes	0	0	0	0	'
Net trust investment income	0	0	0	0	'
Investment Income, Nonoperating, Effect on Deferred Preneed Receipts Held in Trust and Care Trust Corpus'	0	0	0	0	'
Other income, net	50	-695	1,586	-1,680	'
Total other income, net	$50	($695)	$1,586	($1,680)	'

Income_Taxes_Narrative_Details

Income Taxes Narrative (Details) (USD $)	3 Months Ended		6 Months Ended
In Millions, unless otherwise specified	Jun. 30, 2014	Jun. 30, 2013	Jun. 30, 2014	Jun. 30, 2013
Income Taxes [Abstract]	'	'	'	'
Effective Income Tax Rate, Continuing Operations	53.90%	38.50%	45.10%	38.00%
Effective Income Tax Rate Reconciliation, at Federal Statutory Income Tax Rate, Percent	35.00%	'	'	'
Unrecognized Tax Benefits	$135.40	'	$135.40	'
Unrecognized Tax Benefits, Income Tax Penalties and Interest Accrued	46.1	'	46.1	'
Unrecognized tax benefits, reduction of accrued interest	'	'	$1.50	'

Debt_Details

Debt (Details) (USD $)	Jun. 30, 2014	Dec. 31, 2013
In Thousands, unless otherwise specified
Debt Instrument [Line Items]	'	'
Notes Payable to Bank, Noncurrent	$465,000	$600,000
Bank credit facility due March 2016	235,000	30,000
Total debt	3,151,803	3,301,910
Less current maturities	-101,436	-176,362
Long-term Debt and Capital Lease Obligations, Current	-102,065	-153,738
Debt instrument, unamortized discount (premium), net, current portion	629	-22,624
Total long-term debt	3,050,367	3,125,548
Unsecured Debt	'	'
Debt Instrument [Line Items]	'	'
Unamortized pricing discounts and other	-3,214	42,084
Unsecured Debt | July 2014	'	'
Debt Instrument [Line Items]	'	'
Convertible Debt	0	86,416
Unsecured Debt | April 2015	'	'
Debt Instrument [Line Items]	'	'
Senior Notes	0	136,465
Unsecured Debt | April 2016	'	'
Debt Instrument [Line Items]	'	'
Senior Notes	197,377	197,377
Unsecured Debt | July 2016	'	'
Debt Instrument [Line Items]	'	'
Convertible Debt	134	45,119
Unsecured Debt | June 2017	'	'
Debt Instrument [Line Items]	'	'
Senior Notes	295,000	295,000
Unsecured Debt | October 2018	'	'
Debt Instrument [Line Items]	'	'
Senior Notes	250,000	250,000
Unsecured Debt | April 2019	'	'
Debt Instrument [Line Items]	'	'
Senior Notes	0	200,000
Unsecured Debt | May 2019	'	'
Debt Instrument [Line Items]	'	'
Senior Notes	0	250,000
Unsecured Debt | November 2020	'	'
Debt Instrument [Line Items]	'	'
Senior Notes	200,000	200,000
Unsecured Debt | November 2021	'	'
Debt Instrument [Line Items]	'	'
Senior Notes	150,000	150,000
Unsecured Debt | January 2022	'	'
Debt Instrument [Line Items]	'	'
Senior Notes	425,000	425,000
Unsecured Debt | May 2024	'	'
Debt Instrument [Line Items]	'	'
Senior Notes	550,000	0
Unsecured Debt | April 2027	'	'
Debt Instrument [Line Items]	'	'
Senior Notes	200,000	200,000
Revolving Credit Facility	'	'
Debt Instrument [Line Items]	'	'
Bank credit facility due March 2016	235,000	30,000
Capital Lease Obligations	'	'
Debt Instrument [Line Items]	'	'
Obligations under capital leases	183,204	189,697
Mortgages	'	'
Debt Instrument [Line Items]	'	'
Mortgage notes and other debt, maturities through 2047	$4,302	$4,752

Debt_Narratives_Details

Debt Narratives (Details) (USD $)

3 Months Ended

6 Months Ended

6 Months Ended

3 Months Ended

6 Months Ended

Jun. 30, 2014

Jun. 30, 2013

Jun. 30, 2014

Jun. 30, 2013

Dec. 31, 2013

Jun. 30, 2014

Jun. 30, 2014

Jun. 30, 2014

Sep. 30, 2014

Jun. 30, 2014

Jun. 30, 2014

Jun. 30, 2014

Jun. 30, 2014

Jun. 30, 2014

Dec. 31, 2013

Jun. 30, 2014

Dec. 31, 2013

Jun. 30, 2014

Dec. 31, 2013

May-19

Apr-19

Apr-15

Jul-18

Jul-18

Jul-14

Jul-16

Feb-13

Unsecured Debt

Unsecured Debt

Unsecured Debt

Unsecured Debt

Unsecured Debt

Unsecured Debt

May-19

May-19

Apr-19

Apr-19

Apr-15

Apr-15

Debt Instrument [Line Items]

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

Reclassification of debt

'

'

'

'

$30,000,000

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

Senior Notes

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

0

250,000,000

0

200,000,000

0

136,465,000

Debt, Weighted Average Interest Rate

5.11%

'

5.11%

'

5.25%

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

Long-term Debt, Percentage Bearing Fixed Interest, Percentage Rate

72.00%

'

72.00%

'

76.00%

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

Line of Credit Facility, Maximum Borrowing Capacity

500,000,000

'

500,000,000

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

Long-term Line of Credit

465,000,000

'

465,000,000

'

600,000,000

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

Letters of Credit, Maximum Borrowing Capacity

175,000,000

'

175,000,000

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

Line of Credit Facility, Amount Outstanding

235,000,000

'

235,000,000

'

30,000,000

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

Letters of Credit Outstanding, Amount

31,600,000

'

31,600,000

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

Repayments of Debt and Capital Lease Obligations

'

'

898,200,000

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

Line of Credit Facility, Unused Capacity, Commitment Fee Percentage

0.35%

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

Line of Credit Facility, Remaining Borrowing Capacity

233,400,000

'

233,400,000

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

Proceeds from Issuance of Senior Long-term Debt

'

'

550,000,000

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

Line of Credit Facility, Increase (Decrease), Net

'

'

95,000,000

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

Repayments of Long-term Capital Lease Obligations

'

'

14,491,000

12,967,000

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

Repayments of Debt

'

'

5,200,000

400,000

'

250,000,000

200,000,000

136,500,000

13,000,000

135,000,000

86,400,000

45,000,000

4,800,000

'

'

'

'

'

'

Repayments of Long-term Debt

'

'

135,371,000

3,951,000

'

'

9,100,000

'

'

'

21,700,000

14,200,000

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

Repayments of Other Debt

'

'

300,000

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

Gains (Losses) on Extinguishment of Debt

-29,158,000

468,000

-29,158,000

468,000

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

Capital Lease Obligations Incurred

'

'

$19,000,000

$28,500,000

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

Credit_Risk_and_Fair_Value_of_2

Credit Risk and Fair Value of Financial Instruments (Details) (USD $)	Jun. 30, 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	$235,000	$30,000
Mortgage notes and other debt, maturities through 2047	4,302	4,752
Total fair value of debt instruments	3,154,108	3,277,442
Jul-14	'	'
Fair Value, Assets and Liabilities Measured on Recurring and Nonrecurring Basis [Line Items]	'	'
Senior Notes	0	106,939
Apr-15	'	'
Fair Value, Assets and Liabilities Measured on Recurring and Nonrecurring Basis [Line Items]	'	'
Senior Notes	0	144,653
Apr-16	'	'
Fair Value, Assets and Liabilities Measured on Recurring and Nonrecurring Basis [Line Items]	'	'
Senior Notes	213,651	214,904
Jul-16	'	'
Fair Value, Assets and Liabilities Measured on Recurring and Nonrecurring Basis [Line Items]	'	'
Senior Notes	160	60,487
Jun-17	'	'
Fair Value, Assets and Liabilities Measured on Recurring and Nonrecurring Basis [Line Items]	'	'
Senior Notes	332,244	333,259
Oct-18	'	'
Fair Value, Assets and Liabilities Measured on Recurring and Nonrecurring Basis [Line Items]	'	'
Senior Notes	293,125	288,875
Apr-19	'	'
Fair Value, Assets and Liabilities Measured on Recurring and Nonrecurring Basis [Line Items]	'	'
Senior Notes	0	210,000
May-19	'	'
Fair Value, Assets and Liabilities Measured on Recurring and Nonrecurring Basis [Line Items]	'	'
Senior Notes	0	270,000
Nov-20	'	'
Fair Value, Assets and Liabilities Measured on Recurring and Nonrecurring Basis [Line Items]	'	'
Senior Notes	206,000	192,610
Nov-21	'	'
Fair Value, Assets and Liabilities Measured on Recurring and Nonrecurring Basis [Line Items]	'	'
Senior Notes	175,500	173,625
Jan-22	'	'
Fair Value, Assets and Liabilities Measured on Recurring and Nonrecurring Basis [Line Items]	'	'
Senior Notes	443,063	431,588
May-24	'	'
Fair Value, Assets and Liabilities Measured on Recurring and Nonrecurring Basis [Line Items]	'	'
Senior Notes	568,563	0
Apr-27	'	'
Fair Value, Assets and Liabilities Measured on Recurring and Nonrecurring Basis [Line Items]	'	'
Senior Notes	217,500	215,750
Jul-18	'	'
Fair Value, Assets and Liabilities Measured on Recurring and Nonrecurring Basis [Line Items]	'	'
Mortgage notes and other debt, maturities through 2047	$465,000	$600,000

ShareBased_Compensation_Detail

Share-Based Compensation (Details) (USD $)	6 Months Ended
	Jun. 30, 2014	Jun. 30, 2013
Share-based Compensation Arrangement by Share-based Payment Award, Options, Outstanding [Roll Forward]	'	'
Exercised	761,000	143,000
Stock Options	'	'
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	'
Share-based Compensation Arrangement by Share-based Payment Award, Options, Grants in Period, Weighted Average Exercise Price	17.41	'
Exercised	1,731,275	'
Share-based Compensation Arrangement by Share-based Payment Award, Options, Exercises in Period, Weighted Average Exercise Price	9.67	'
Share-based Compensation Arrangement by Share-based Payment Award, Options, Forfeitures and Expirations in Period	26,034	'
Share-based Compensation Arrangement by Share-based Payment Award, Options, Forfeitures and Expirations in Period, Weighted Average Exercise Price	15.77	'
Options outstanding at end of period	14,058,291	'
Options outstanding at end of period, weighted average exercise price	11.19	'
Options exercisable at March 31, 2012	9,598,541	'
Share-based Compensation Arrangement by Share-based Payment Award, Options, Exercisable, Weighted Average Exercise Price	9.03	'
Restricted Stock	'	'
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	'
Share-based Compensation Arrangement by Share-based Payment Award, Equity Instruments Other than Options, Grants in Period	344,570	'
Share-based Compensation Arrangement by Share-based Payment Award, Equity Instruments Other than Options, Grants in Period, Weighted Average Grant Date Fair Value	17.41	'
Share-based Compensation Arrangement by Share-based Payment Award, Equity Instruments Other than Options, Vested in Period	-187,549	'
Share-based Compensation Arrangement by Share-based Payment Award, Equity Instruments Other than Options, Vested in Period, 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_Narrat

Share-Based Compensation Narratives (Details) (USD $)	6 Months Ended
In Millions, unless otherwise specified	Jun. 30, 2014
Stock Options	'
Employee Service Share-based Compensation, Nonvested Awards, Total Compensation Cost Not yet Recognized	$12.70
Employee Service Share-based Compensation, Nonvested Awards, Total Compensation Cost Not yet Recognized, Period for Recognition	'1 year 6 months
Restricted Stock	'
Employee Service Share-based Compensation, Nonvested Awards, Total Compensation Cost Not yet Recognized	$9.40
Employee Service Share-based Compensation, Nonvested Awards, Total Compensation Cost Not yet Recognized, Period for Recognition	'1 year 6 months

Equity_Components_of_Accumulat

Equity Components of Accumulated Other Comrehensive income (Details) (USD $)	6 Months Ended
In Thousands, unless otherwise specified	Jun. 30, 2014	Jun. 30, 2013
Accumulated other comprehensive income [Roll Forward]	'	'
Balance at beginning of period	$88,441	'
Activity in 2014	75,500	75,888
Balance at end of period	90,759	'
Accumulated Other Comprehensive Income (Loss)	'	'
Accumulated other comprehensive income [Roll Forward]	'	'
Balance at beginning of period	88,441	111,717
Activity in 2014	2,318	-17,260
Increase in net unrealized gains associated with available-for-sale securities of the trusts, net of taxes	46,253	8,744
Reclassification of net unrealized gain activity attributable to the Deferred preneed funeral and cemetery receipts held in trust and Care trusts’ corpus’, net of taxes	-46,253	-8,744
Balance at end of period	90,759	94,457
Foreign Currency Gain (Loss)	'	'
Accumulated other comprehensive income [Roll Forward]	'	'
Balance at beginning of period	88,441	111,717
Increase in net unrealized gains associated with available-for-sale securities of the trusts, net of taxes	0	0
Reclassification of net unrealized gain activity attributable to the Deferred preneed funeral and cemetery receipts held in trust and Care trusts’ corpus’, net of taxes	0	0
Balance at end of period	90,759	94,457
Accumulated Net Unrealized Investment Gain (Loss)	'	'
Accumulated other comprehensive income [Roll Forward]	'	'
Balance at beginning of period	0	0
Activity in 2014	0	0
Increase in net unrealized gains associated with available-for-sale securities of the trusts, net of taxes	46,253	8,744
Reclassification of net unrealized gain activity attributable to the Deferred preneed funeral and cemetery receipts held in trust and Care trusts’ corpus’, net of taxes	-46,253	-8,744
Balance at end of period	$0	$0

Equity_Narratives_Details

Equity Narratives (Details) (USD $)	3 Months Ended		6 Months Ended
In Millions, except Share data, unless otherwise specified	Jun. 30, 2014	Jun. 30, 2013	Jun. 30, 2014	Jun. 30, 2013
Equity [Abstract]	'	'	'	'
Dividends declared per share	$0.08	$0.07	$0.16	$0.13
Dividends, Common Stock, Cash	'	'	$16.90	'
Treasury Stock, Shares, Acquired	3,078,954	'	0	0
Treasury Stock, Value, Acquired, Par Value Method	'	'	59.4	'
Treasury Stock Acquired, Average Cost Per Share	'	'	$19.29	'
Stock Repurchase Program, Remaining Authorized Repurchase Amount	'	'	$130.80	'

Segment_Reporting_Details

Segment Reporting (Details) (USD $)	3 Months Ended		6 Months Ended
In Thousands, unless otherwise specified	Jun. 30, 2014	Jun. 30, 2013	Jun. 30, 2014	Jun. 30, 2013
Segment Reporting Information [Line Items]	'	'	'	'
Revenue from External Customers	$746,746	$624,231	$1,492,255	$1,274,649
Gross Profit	155,864	125,983	322,104	285,310
General and administrative expenses	-46,127	-31,379	-102,137	-62,302
Losses (gains) on divestitures and impairment charges, net	34,994	-5,545	32,182	-6,514
Operating income	144,731	89,059	252,149	216,494
Interest expense	-46,307	-32,740	-91,303	-65,509
Gains on early extinguishment of debt, net	-29,158	468	-29,158	468
Other income (expense), net	50	-695	1,586	-1,680
Income before income taxes	69,316	56,092	133,274	149,773
UNITED STATES	'	'	'	'
Segment Reporting Information [Line Items]	'	'	'	'
Revenue from External Customers	695,899	570,344	1,390,282	1,165,781
CANADA	'	'	'	'
Segment Reporting Information [Line Items]	'	'	'	'
Revenue from External Customers	50,847	53,887	101,973	108,868
Funeral	'	'	'	'
Segment Reporting Information [Line Items]	'	'	'	'
Revenue from External Customers	479,531	414,545	988,585	874,630
Gross Profit	97,908	80,259	217,155	200,060
Other income (expense), net	0	0	0	0
Cemetery	'	'	'	'
Segment Reporting Information [Line Items]	'	'	'	'
Revenue from External Customers	267,215	209,686	503,670	400,019
Gross Profit	57,956	45,724	104,949	85,250
Other income (expense), net	$0	$0	$0	$0

Supplementary_Information_Deta

Supplementary Information (Details) (USD $)	3 Months Ended		6 Months Ended
In Thousands, except Share data, unless otherwise specified	Jun. 30, 2014	Jun. 30, 2013	Jun. 30, 2014	Jun. 30, 2013
Product Information [Line Items]	'	'	'	'
Total merchandise revenues	$344,619	$292,952	$664,746	$582,043
Total services revenues	361,327	295,293	743,870	622,471
Other revenues	40,800	35,986	83,639	70,135
Total revenues	746,746	624,231	1,492,255	1,274,649
Total cost of merchandise	159,406	130,129	310,897	261,890
Total cost of services	201,258	165,423	397,801	326,848
Overhead and other expenses	230,218	202,696	461,453	400,601
Total costs and expenses	590,882	498,248	1,170,151	989,339
Options exercised by attestation	'	'	761,000	143,000
Stock Repurchased During Period, Shares	'	'	-761,000	-143,000
Funeral	'	'	'	'
Product Information [Line Items]	'	'	'	'
Total merchandise revenues	155,649	142,949	320,384	302,564
Total services revenues	290,078	242,076	601,238	514,686
Total revenues	479,531	414,545	988,585	874,630
Total cost of merchandise	73,295	65,611	155,249	140,819
Total cost of services	162,235	139,203	321,740	274,297
Cemetery	'	'	'	'
Product Information [Line Items]	'	'	'	'
Total merchandise revenues	188,970	150,003	344,362	279,479
Total services revenues	71,249	53,217	142,632	107,785
Total revenues	267,215	209,686	503,670	400,019
Total cost of merchandise	86,111	64,518	155,648	121,071
Total cost of services	$39,023	$26,220	$76,061	$52,551

Commitments_and_Contingencies_1

Commitments and Contingencies (Details) (USD $)	6 Months Ended
In Millions, unless otherwise specified	Jun. 30, 2014	Dec. 31, 2013
Commitments and Contingencies [Abstract]	'	'
Self Insurance Reserve	$75.30	$78
Litigation Settlement, Amount	35.3	'
Insurance share of litigation settlement	25.3	'
Litigation Settlement, Expense	$0.30	'

Earnings_Per_Share_Details

Earnings Per Share (Details) (USD $)	3 Months Ended		6 Months Ended
In Thousands, except Per Share data, unless otherwise specified	Jun. 30, 2014	Jun. 30, 2013	Jun. 30, 2014	Jun. 30, 2013
Net Income (Loss) Attributable to Parent [Abstract]	'	'	'	'
Net income attributable to common stockholders	$25,922	$33,615	$67,024	$91,236
After tax interest on convertible debt	13	13	25	25
Net income — diluted	$25,935	$33,628	$67,049	$91,261
Weighted average shares (denominator):	'	'	'	'
Weighted average shares — basic	-212,390	-211,821	-212,613	-211,602
Stock options	3,478	4,004	3,859	3,880
Convertible debt	121	121	121	121
Weighted average shares — diluted	215,989	215,946	216,593	215,603
Net income attributable to common stockholders, basic	$0.12	$0.16	$0.32	$0.43
Net income attributable to common stockholders, diluted	$0.12	$0.16	$0.31	$0.42

Earnings_Per_Share_Narratives_

Earnings Per Share Narratives (Details)	3 Months Ended		6 Months Ended
In Millions, unless otherwise specified	Jun. 30, 2014	Jun. 30, 2013	Jun. 30, 2014	Jun. 30, 2013
Earnings Per Share [Abstract]	'	'	'	'
Antidilutive Securities Excluded from Computation of Earnings Per Share, Amount	1.7	2.1	1.9	1.6

Acquisition_Details

Acquisition (Details) (USD $)	3 Months Ended	6 Months Ended		12 Months Ended
	Jun. 30, 2013	Jun. 30, 2014	Jun. 30, 2013	Dec. 31, 2013	Mar. 31, 2014	Dec. 23, 2013	Oct. 15, 2013	Jun. 03, 2011
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, Receivables	'	'	'	'	'	11,521,000	'	'
Business Combination, Recognized Identifiable Assets Acquired and Liabilities Assumed, Current Assets, Prepaid Expense and Other Assets	'	'	'	'	'	188,737,000	'	'
Business Acquisition, Purchase Price Allocation, Cemetery property	'	'	'	'	'	308,201,000	'	'
Business Combination, Recognized Identifiable Assets Acquired and Liabilities Assumed, Property, Plant, and Equipment	'	'	'	'	'	340,799,000	'	'
Business Acquisition, Purchase Price Allocation, Preneed funeral and cemetery receivables and trust investments	'	'	'	'	'	632,305,000	'	'
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	'	'	'	'	'	519,906,000	'	'
Business Combination, Recognized Identifiable Assets Acquired and Liabilities Assumed, Other Noncurrent Assets	'	'	'	'	'	274,336,000	'	'
Business Combination, Recognized Identifiable Assets Acquired, Goodwill, and Liabilities Assumed, Net	'	'	'	'	'	559,754,000	'	'
Business Combination, Recognized Identifiable Assets Acquired and Liabilities Assumed, Assets	'	'	'	'	'	2,992,093,000	'	'
Business Combination, Recognized Identifiable Assets Acquired and Liabilities Assumed, Current Liabilities	'	'	'	'	'	217,773,000	'	'
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	'	'	'	'	'	741,741,000	'	'
Business combination, liabilities held for sale	'	'	'	'	'	243,955,000	'	'
Business Combination, Recognized Identifiable Assets Acquired and Liabilities Assumed, Deferred Tax Liabilities Noncurrent	'	'	'	'	'	61,512,000	'	'
Business Combination, Recognized Identifiable Assets Acquired and Liabilities Assumed, Noncurrent Liabilities, Other	'	'	'	'	'	290,971,000	'	'
Business Combination, Recognized Identifiable Assets Acquired and Liabilities Assumed, Liabilities	'	'	'	'	'	1,826,620,000	'	'
Business combination, noncontrolling interest	'	'	'	'	'	118,000	'	'
Business Combination, Recognized Identifiable Assets Acquired and Liabilities Assumed, Net	'	'	'	'	'	1,165,355,000	'	'
Business Acquisition, Percentage of Voting Interests Acquired	'	'	'	'	10.00%	'	20.00%	70.00%
Business Acquisition, Pro Forma Revenue	722,810,000	'	1,472,915,000	'	'	'	'	'
Business Acquisition, Goodwill, Expected Tax Deductible Amount	'	2,300,000	'	'	'	'	'	'
Change in estimated valued of acquired property and equipment, net	'	23,426,000	'	'	'	'	'	'
Change in estimated valued of acquired cemetery property	'	-12,279,000	'	'	'	'	'	'
Change in estimated value of preneed funeral and cemetery receivables and trust investments	'	-22,705,000	'	'	'	'	'	'
Change in estimated valued of acquired finite lived intangible assets	'	-29,144,000	'	'	'	'	'	'
Change in value of deferred charges and other assets	'	-3,984,000	'	'	'	'	'	'
Change in the estimated fair value of acquired deferred preneed funeral and cemetery revenues and deferred receipts held in trust	'	41,117,000	'	'	'	'	'	'
Change in value of acquired assets and liabilities held for sale	'	-4,660,000	'	'	'	'	'	'
Change in estimated value of deferred income taxes	'	38,657,000	'	'	'	'	'	'
Other changes in the estimated fair value of acquired assets and liabilities, net	'	-11,604,000	'	'	'	'	'	'
Total adjustment to the estimated amount of goodwill in a business combination	'	18,824,000	'	'	'	'	'	'
Business Combination, Recognized Identifiable Assets Acquired and Liabilities Assumed, Intangible Assets, Other than Goodwill	'	156,534,000	'	'	'	'	'	'
Business Acquisition, Pro Forma Net Income (Loss)	44,713,000	'	108,932,000	'	'	'	'	'
Business Combination, Step Acquisition, Equity Interest in Acquiree, Including Subsequent Acquisition, Percentage	'	'	'	'	'	'	90.00%	'
Stewart	'	'	'	'	'	'	'	'
Finite-Lived Trade Names, Gross	'	9,150,000	'	'	'	'	'	'
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	'	'	'	'	'	'
Indefinite-Lived Trade Names	'	77,900,000	'	'	'	'	'	'
Indefinite-Lived License Agreements	'	1,500,000	'	'	'	'	'	'
Funeral | Stewart	'	'	'	'	'	'	'	'
Goodwill, Acquired During Period	'	307,900,000	'	'	'	'	'	'
Cemetery | Stewart	'	'	'	'	'	'	'	'
Goodwill, Acquired During Period	'	$251,900,000	'	'	'	'	'	'
Customer Relationships | Minimum | Stewart	'	'	'	'	'	'	'	'
Finite-Lived Intangible Asset, Useful Life	'	'10 years	'	'	'	'	'	'
Customer Relationships | Maximum | Stewart	'	'	'	'	'	'	'	'
Finite-Lived Intangible Asset, Useful Life	'	'20 years	'	'	'	'	'	'
Customer Lists | Minimum | Stewart	'	'	'	'	'	'	'	'
Finite-Lived Intangible Asset, Useful Life	'	'10 years	'	'	'	'	'	'
Customer Lists | Maximum | Stewart	'	'	'	'	'	'	'	'
Finite-Lived Intangible Asset, Useful Life	'	'14 years	'	'	'	'	'	'
Licensing Agreements | Minimum | Stewart	'	'	'	'	'	'	'	'
Finite-Lived Intangible Asset, Useful Life	'	'20 years	'	'	'	'	'	'
Licensing Agreements | Maximum | Stewart	'	'	'	'	'	'	'	'
Finite-Lived Intangible Asset, Useful Life	'	'40 years	'	'	'	'	'	'
Noncompete Agreements | Minimum | Stewart	'	'	'	'	'	'	'	'
Finite-Lived Intangible Asset, Useful Life	'	'5 years	'	'	'	'	'	'
Noncompete Agreements | Maximum | Stewart	'	'	'	'	'	'	'	'
Finite-Lived Intangible Asset, Useful Life	'	'15 years	'	'	'	'	'	'
Leases, Acquired-in-Place, Market Adjustment | Minimum | Stewart	'	'	'	'	'	'	'	'
Finite-Lived Intangible Asset, Useful Life	'	'26 years	'	'	'	'	'	'
Leases, Acquired-in-Place, Market Adjustment | Maximum | Stewart	'	'	'	'	'	'	'	'
Finite-Lived Intangible Asset, Useful Life	'	'34 years	'	'	'	'	'	'
Trade Names | Minimum | Stewart	'	'	'	'	'	'	'	'
Finite-Lived Intangible Asset, Useful Life	'	'5 years	'	'	'	'	'	'
Trade Names | Maximum | Stewart	'	'	'	'	'	'	'	'
Finite-Lived Intangible Asset, Useful Life	'	'5 years	'	'	'	'	'	'

DivestitureRelated_Activities_2

Divestiture-Related Activities (Details) (USD $)	3 Months Ended			6 Months Ended
	Sep. 30, 2014	Jun. 30, 2014	Jun. 30, 2013	Jun. 30, 2014	Jun. 30, 2013	Dec. 31, 2013
Divestiture-Related Activities [Abstract]	'	'	'	'	'	'
Assets Held-for-sale, Current	'	$3,043,000	'	$3,043,000	'	$4,569,000
Net assets of discontinued operations	'	1,529,000	'	1,529,000	'	1,545,000
Assets Held-for-sale, at Carrying Value	'	647,449,000	'	647,449,000	'	827,780,000
Liabilities of Assets Held-for-sale, Current	'	2,252,000	'	2,252,000	'	3,183,000
Total liabilities, held for sale	'	442,260,000	'	442,260,000	'	521,554,000
Deferred preneed funeral and cemetery revenues and deferred receipts held in trusts, held for sale	'	357,588,000	'	357,588,000	'	427,436,000
Proceeds from Divestiture of Businesses	5,000,000	'	'	'	'	'
Assets Held-for-sale, Current	'	2,979,000	'	2,979,000	'	4,750,000
Preneed funeral and cemetery receivables and trust investments, held for sale	'	297,075,000	'	297,075,000	'	363,480,000
Cemetery property, held for sale	'	64,967,000	'	64,967,000	'	83,115,000
Assets Held-for-sale, Property, Plant and Equipment	'	47,632,000	'	47,632,000	'	63,356,000
Assets Held-for-sale, Property, Plant and Equipment	'	281,000	'	281,000	'	116,000
Goodwill, held for sale	'	139,145,000	'	139,145,000	'	193,545,000
Deferred charges and other assets, held for sale	'	16,160,000	'	16,160,000	'	32,989,000
Deferred charges and other assets, held for sale	'	3,673,000	'	3,673,000	'	2,375,000
Cemetery perpetual care trust investments, held for sale	'	79,427,000	'	79,427,000	'	86,726,000
Assets Held-for-sale, at Carrying Value	'	6,933,000	'	6,933,000	'	7,241,000
Liabilities of Assets Held-for-sale, Current	'	4,014,000	'	4,014,000	'	4,728,000
Deferred preneed funeral and cemetery revenues and deferred receipts held in trusts, held for sale	'	1,360,000	'	1,360,000	'	938,000
Care trusts' corpus, held for sale	'	78,976,000	'	78,976,000	'	86,726,000
Other long-term liabilities, held for sale	'	30,000	'	30,000	'	30,000
Total liabilities, held for sale	'	5,404,000	'	5,404,000	'	5,696,000
Net assets held for sale	'	205,189,000	'	205,189,000	'	306,226,000
Disposal Group, Not Discontinued Operation, Gain (Loss) on Disposal	'	35,937,000	-3,710,000	37,864,000	-4,600,000	'
Disposal Group, Not Discontinued Operation, Loss (Gain) on Write-down	'	-943,000	-1,835,000	-5,682,000	-1,914,000	'
Losses (gains) on divestitures and impairment charges, net	'	34,994,000	-5,545,000	32,182,000	-6,514,000	'
Other long-term liabilities, held for sale	'	$3,444,000	'	$3,444,000	'	$4,209,000