Service Corporation International (SCI) 10-Q 30 Oct 14 2014 Q3 Quarterly report Financial data

Document_and_Entity_Informatio

Document and Entity Information Document	9 Months Ended
	Sep. 30, 2014	Oct. 28, 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-Sep-14	'
Document Fiscal Year Focus	'2014	'
Document Fiscal Period Focus	'Q3	'
Amendment Flag	'false	'
Entity Common Stock, Shares Outstanding	'	207,643,698

Unaudited_Condensed_Consolidat

Unaudited Condensed Consolidated Statement of Operations Statement (USD $)	3 Months Ended		9 Months Ended
In Thousands, except Per Share data, unless otherwise specified	Sep. 30, 2014	Sep. 30, 2013	Sep. 30, 2014	Sep. 30, 2013
Revenues	$718,314	$608,589	$2,210,569	$1,883,238
Costs and expenses	-570,016	-492,784	-1,740,167	-1,482,123
Gross profits	148,298	115,805	470,402	401,115
General and administrative expenses	-39,748	-33,740	-141,885	-96,042
Losses (gains) on divestitures and impairment charges, net	26,570	981	58,752	-5,533
Operating income	135,120	83,046	387,269	299,540
Interest expense	-43,376	-38,080	-134,679	-103,589
Gains on early extinguishment of debt, net	0	0	-29,158	468
Other (expense) income, net	-9	667	1,577	-1,013
Income before income taxes	91,735	45,633	225,009	195,406
Provision for income taxes	-74,934	-18,407	-134,998	-75,295
Net income	17,685	27,394	90,857	120,552
Income (Loss) from Discontinued Operations, Net of Tax, Including Portion Attributable to Noncontrolling Interest	-884	-168	846	441
Income (Loss) from Continuing Operations, Including Portion Attributable to Noncontrolling Interest	16,801	27,226	90,011	120,111
Net income attributable to noncontrolling interests	-34	-615	-6,182	-2,537
Net income attributable to common stockholders	$17,651	$26,779	$84,675	$118,015
Basic earnings per share:	'	'	'	'
Net income attributable to common stockholders, basic	$0.08	$0.13	$0.40	$0.56
Basic weighted average number of shares	210,820	211,954	212,009	211,721
Diluted earnings per share:	'	'	'	'
Net income attributable to common stockholders, diluted	$0.08	$0.12	$0.39	$0.55
Diluted weighted average number of shares	213,010	216,370	215,365	215,877
Dividends declared per share	$0.09	$0.07	$0.25	$0.20

Unaudited_Condensed_Consolidat1

Unaudited Condensed Consolidated Statement of Comprehensive Income (USD $)	3 Months Ended		9 Months Ended
In Thousands, unless otherwise specified	Sep. 30, 2014	Sep. 30, 2013	Sep. 30, 2014	Sep. 30, 2013
Net income	$17,685	$27,394	$90,857	$120,552
Comprehensive income	4,739	34,891	80,239	110,779
Comprehensive income (loss) attributable to noncontrolling interests	-24	-620	-6,182	-2,532
Comprehensive income attributable to common stockholders	4,715	34,271	74,057	108,247
Other Comprehensive Income (Loss), Foreign Currency Transaction and Translation Adjustment, Net of Tax	-16,060	7,497	-13,732	-9,773
Other Comprehensive Income (Loss), Foreign Currency Transaction and Translation Reclassification Adjustment from AOCI, Realized upon Sale or Liquidation, Net of Tax	($3,114)	$0	($3,114)	$0

Unaudited_Condensed_Consolidat2

Unaudited Condensed Consolidated Balance Sheet Statement (USD $)	Sep. 30, 2014	Dec. 31, 2013
In Thousands, unless otherwise specified
Current assets:	'	'
Cash and cash equivalents	$266,259	$141,599
Receivables, net	92,719	102,198
Deferred tax assets	28,369	27,138
Inventories, net	32,471	34,145
Assets of Disposal Group, Including Discontinued Operation, Current	0	4,750
Disposal Group, Held for Sale, Assets, Current	436	4,569
Other	47,445	65,574
Total current assets	467,699	379,973
Preneed funeral receivables, net and trust investments	1,876,272	1,888,271
Preneed cemetery receivables, net and trust investments	2,337,392	2,277,362
Cemetery property, at cost	1,739,933	1,768,595
Property and equipment, net	1,872,162	1,923,086
Assets of Disposal Group, Including Discontinued Operation, Noncurrent	0	2,491
Disposal Group, Including Discontinued Operation, Long Lived Assets	136,897	827,598
Goodwill, net	1,898,885	1,888,772
Deferred charges and other assets	619,442	618,708
Cemetery perpetual care trust investments	1,381,549	1,339,842
Total assets	12,330,231	12,914,698
Current liabilities:	'	'
Accounts payable and accrued liabilities	460,364	483,601
Current maturities of long-term debt	109,907	153,738
Long-term Debt, Current Maturities	109,266	176,362
Liabilities of Disposal Group, Including Discontinued Operation, Current	0	4,728
Disposal Group, Held for Sale, Liabilities, Current	441	3,183
Liabilities of Assets Held-for-sale, Current	441	3,183
Income taxes	15,707	6,456
Total current liabilities	585,778	674,330
Long-term debt	2,958,500	3,125,548
Deferred preneed funeral revenues	526,287	521,845
Deferred preneed cemetery revenues	1,087,241	1,043,460
Deferred tax liability	620,098	575,978
Liabilities of Disposal Group, Including Discontinued Operation, Noncurrent	0	968
Liabilities of Assets Held-for-sale	141,490	518,371
Other liabilities	430,731	445,934
Deferred preneed funeral and cemetery receipts held in trust	3,234,074	3,245,705
Care trusts’ corpus	1,380,096	1,338,181
Commitments and contingencies (Note 15)	'	'
Stockholders' Equity:	'	'
Common stock, $1 per share par value, 500,000,000 shares authorized, 215,585,410 and 212,326,642 shares issued, respectively, and 209,230,875 and 212,316,642 shares outstanding, respectively	209,231	212,317
Capital in excess of par value	1,218,332	1,259,348
Accumulated deficit	-148,085	-145,876
Accumulated other comprehensive income	77,823	88,441
Total common stockholders’ equity	1,357,301	1,414,230
Noncontrolling interests	8,635	10,148
Total equity	1,365,936	1,424,378
Total liabilities and equity	$12,330,231	$12,914,698

Unaudited_Condensed_Consolidat3

Unaudited Condensed Consolidated Balance Sheet (Parenthetical) (USD $)	Sep. 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	215,585,410	212,326,642
Common stock, shares outstanding	209,230,875	212,316,642

Unaudited_Condensed_Consolidat4

Unaudited Condensed Consolidated Statement of Cash Flows Statement (USD $)	9 Months Ended
In Thousands, unless otherwise specified	Sep. 30, 2014	Sep. 30, 2013
Cash flows from operating activities:	'	'
Net income	$90,857	$120,552
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	-846	-441
Gains on early extinguishment of debt, net	29,158	-468
Payments of Debt Extinguishment Costs	-24,804	0
Depreciation and amortization	105,098	91,691
Amortization of intangible assets	27,792	16,619
Amortization of cemetery property	41,477	32,036
Amortization of loan costs	6,436	3,997
Provision for doubtful accounts	6,142	5,238
Provision for deferred income taxes	59,614	55,784
Losses (gains) on divestitures and impairment charges, net	-58,752	5,533
Share-based compensation	9,742	8,887
Excess tax benefits from share based awards	-20,727	-6,083
Change in assets and liabilities, net of effects from acquisitions and divestitures:	'	'
Decrease in receivables	-7,038	14,092
Increase (decrease) in other assets	-12,845	-14,672
Decrease in payables and other liabilities	38,439	24,674
Effect of preneed funeral production and maturities:	'	'
Decrease in preneed funeral receivables, net and trust investments	29,498	33,157
Decrease in deferred preneed funeral revenue	-24,746	-9,769
Decrease in deferred preneed funeral receipts held in trust	-29,879	-34,026
Effect of cemetery production and deliveries:	'	'
Increase in preneed cemetery receivables, net and trust investments	-37,559	-49,500
Increase in deferred preneed cemetery revenue	34,388	36,183
(Decrease) increase in deferred preneed cemetery receipts held in trust	-5,355	-8,051
Other	1,131	298
Net cash provided by operating activities	256,221	326,434
Cash Provided by (Used in) Operating Activities, Discontinued Operations	-1,000	703
Net Cash Provided by (Used in) Operating Activities, Continuing Operations	257,221	325,731
Cash flows from investing activities:	'	'
Capital expenditures	-95,182	-79,539
Acquisitions	-10,815	-8,543
Proceeds from divestitures and sales of property and equipment, net	397,297	10,077
Other	-12,225	341
Net cash used in investing activities	284,056	-77,775
Cash Provided by (Used in) Investing Activities, Discontinued Operations	4,981	-111
Net Cash Provided by (Used in) Investing Activities, Continuing Operations	279,075	-77,664
Cash flows from financing activities:	'	'
Proceeds from issuance of long-term debt	755,000	0
Debt Issuance Cost	-10,500	0
Payments of debt	-222,958	-90,435
Early Repayment of Senior Debt	-762,764	0
Principal payments on capital leases	-21,979	-19,585
Proceeds from exercise of stock options	27,609	4,954
Excess tax benefits from share based awards	20,727	6,083
Purchase of Company common stock	-130,162	-1,708
Payments of dividends	-53,026	-42,371
Purchase of noncontrolling interest	-15,000	-8,333
Bank overdrafts and other	-3,377	-5,479
Net cash used in financing activities	-416,430	-158,233
Cash Provided by (Used in) Financing Activities, Discontinued Operations	0	-1,359
Net Cash Provided by (Used in) Financing Activities, Continuing Operations	-416,430	-156,874
Change in cash from discontinued operations	1,361	767
Effect of foreign currency on cash and cash equivalents	-548	-613
Net decrease in cash and cash equivalents	124,660	90,580
Cash and cash equivalents at beginning of period	141,599	88,769
Cash and cash equivalents at end of period	$266,259	$179,349

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	110,779	0	0	0	118,015	-9,768	2,532
Dividends declared on common stock	-42,371	0	0	-42,371	0	0	0
Employee share-based compensation earned	8,887	0	0	8,887	0	0	0
Stock option exercises	5,097	573	0	4,524	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	6,083	0	0	6,083	0	0	0
Purchase of noncontrolling interest	-8,333	0	0	1,696	0	0	6,637
Noncontrolling interest payment	-1,700	0	0	0	0	0	-1,700
Other	1,356	82	0	1,274	0	0	0
Balance at end of period at Sep. 30, 2013	1,440,774	212,082	-122	1,282,667	-169,797	101,949	13,995
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	80,239	0	0	0	84,675	-10,618	6,182
Dividends declared on common stock	-53,026	0	0	-53,026	0	0	0
Employee share-based compensation earned	9,742	0	0	9,742	0	0	0
Stock option exercises	28,370	2,855	0	25,515	0	0	0
Restricted stock awards, net of forfeitures	0	-352	0	-352	0	0	0
Purchase of Company common stock	130,923	0	-6,386	-37,653	-86,884	0	0
Cancellation of Company Stock	0	-42,000	42,000	0	0	0	0
Tax Benefits Related to Share-Based Awards	20,727	0	0	20,727	0	0	0
Purchase of noncontrolling interest	-15,000	0	0	7,440	0	0	7,560
Noncontrolling interest payment	-135	0	0	0	0	0	-135
Other	1,564	93	0	1,471	0	0	0
Balance at end of period at Sep. 30, 2014	$1,365,936	$215,585	($6,354)	$1,218,332	($148,085)	$77,823	$8,635

Unaudited_Condensed_Consolidat6

Unaudited Condensed Consolidated Statement of Equity (Parenthetical) (USD $)	3 Months Ended		9 Months Ended
	Sep. 30, 2014	Sep. 30, 2013	Sep. 30, 2014	Sep. 30, 2013
Dividends declared per share	$0.09	$0.07	$0.25	$0.20

Nature_of_Operations_Notes

Nature of Operations (Notes)	9 Months Ended
	Sep. 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 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)	9 Months Ended
	Sep. 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 classified the assets and results of operations of these businesses as 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)	9 Months Ended
	Sep. 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 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. Additionally, the ASU requires the deferral of direct incremental selling costs to the period in which the underlying revenue is recognized. 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)	9 Months Ended
	Sep. 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. The 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								Nine Months Ended
		September 30,								September 30,
		2014				2013				2014				2013
		(In thousands)
	Deposits	$	23,618			$	20,187			$	76,490			$	63,802
	Withdrawals	27,718				24,242				103,410				92,491
	Purchases of available-for-sale securities	238,860				125,113				379,650				302,939
	Sales of available-for-sale securities	274,630				91,064				445,880				337,714
	Realized gains from sales of available-for-sale securities	18,935				12,953				50,947				41,654
	Realized losses from sales of available-for-sale securities	(2,094		)		(2,212		)		(6,233		)		(8,378		)
	The components of Preneed funeral receivables, net and trust investments in our unaudited condensed consolidated balance sheet at September 30, 2014 and December 31, 2013 are as follows:
		September 30, 2014				December 31, 2013
		(In thousands)
	Trust investments, at fair value	$	1,262,940			$	1,442,418
	Cash and cash equivalents	172,372				128,216
	Assets associated with businesses held for sale	(34,755		)		(167,615		)
	Insurance-backed fixed income securities	263,691				280,969
	Trust investments	1,664,248				1,683,988
	Receivables from customers	263,685				259,801
	Unearned finance charge	(10,675		)		(10,179		)
		1,917,258				1,933,610
	Allowance for cancellation	(40,986		)		(45,339		)
	Preneed funeral receivables, net and trust investments	$	1,876,272			$	1,888,271
	Our funeral merchandise and service trust investments are recorded at fair value. The costs and fair values at September 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-Sep-14
		Fair Value Hierarchy Level		Cost				Unrealized				Unrealized				Fair
								Gains				Losses				Value
								(In thousands)
	Fixed income securities:
	U.S. Treasury	2		$	104,517			$	1,365			$	(53	)		$	105,829
	Canadian government	2		94,889				321				(922		)		94,288
	Corporate	2		42,598				3,001				(126		)		45,473
	Residential mortgage-backed	2		1,496				25				(21		)		1,500
	Asset-backed	2		133				2				—				135
	Equity securities:
	Preferred stock	2		8,516				422				—				8,938
	Common stock:
	United States	1		252,015				57,523				(126		)		309,412
	Canada	1		16,510				5,014				(282		)		21,242
	Other international	1		21,202				4,130				(2		)		25,330
	Mutual funds:
	Equity	1		332,092				20,198				(586		)		351,704
	Fixed income	1		259,964				4,651				(1,125		)		263,490
	Private equity	3		33,470				3,577				(7,112		)		29,935
	Other	3		5,204				482				(22		)		5,664
	Trust investments			$	1,172,606			$	100,711			$	(10,377	)		$	1,262,940
		31-Dec-13
		Fair Value Hierarchy Level		Cost				Unrealized				Unrealized				Fair
								Gains				Losses				Value
								(In thousands)
	Fixed income securities:
	U.S. Treasury	2		$	112,173			$	1,299			$	(5,599	)		$	107,873
	Canadian government	2		100,263				81				(1,113		)		99,231
	Corporate	2		64,721				3,515				(691		)		67,545
	Residential mortgage-backed	2		2,446				23				(33		)		2,436
	Asset-backed	2		3,419				—				(10		)		3,409
	Equity securities:
	Preferred stock	2		30,586				755				(235		)		31,106
	Common stock:
United States	1		371,560				77,962				(2,928		)		446,594
Canada	1		27,730				4,346				(1,217		)		30,859
Other international	1		36,149				4,986				(198		)		40,937
Mutual funds:
Equity	1		261,598				22,530				(2,303		)		281,825
Fixed income	1		318,257				3,228				(19,577		)		301,908
Private equity	3		32,909				2,702				(8,726		)		26,885
Other	3		1,552				291				(33		)		1,810
Trust investments			$	1,363,363			$	121,718			$	(42,663	)		$	1,442,418
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 September 30, 2014, our unfunded commitment for our private equity and other investments was $26.1 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
	September 30, 2014								September 30, 2013
	Private Equity				Other				Private Equity				Other
	(In thousands)
Fair value, beginning balance	$	27,339			$	4,476			$	26,333			$	1,457
Net unrealized gains included in Accumulated other comprehensive income(1)	265				1,071				1,830				256
Net realized losses included in Other (expense) income, net(2)	(7		)		(4		)		—				—
Purchases	289				—				—				—
Contributions	4,998				121				19				—
Distributions	(2,949		)		—				(1,197		)		(194		)
Fair value, ending balance	$	29,935			$	5,664			$	26,985			$	1,519
	Nine Months Ended
	September 30, 2014								September 30, 2013
	Private Equity				Other				Private Equity				Other
	(In thousands)
Fair value, beginning balance	$	26,885			$	1,810			$	17,879			$	744
Net unrealized (losses) gains included in Accumulated other comprehensive income(1)	(1,370		)		3,927				14,441				1,126
Net realized losses included in Other (expense) income, net(2)	(21		)		(5		)		(11		)		(2		)
Purchases	3,244				—				—				—
Contributions	5,955				121				2,221				—
Distributions	(4,758		)		(189		)		(7,545		)		(349		)
Fair value, ending balance	$	29,935			$	5,664			$	26,985			$	1,519
-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 (expense) income, net for our funeral merchandise and service trust investments are attributable to our preneed customers and are offset by a corresponding reclassification in Other (expense) income, 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 September 30, 2014 are estimated as follows:
	Fair Value
	(In thousands)
Due in one year or less	$	127,847
Due in one to five years	52,319
Due in five to ten years	37,248
Thereafter	29,811
	$	247,225
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 was $15.1 million and $11.4 million for the three months ended September 30, 2014 and 2013, respectively. Recognized trust fund income (realized and unrealized) related to these trust investments was $47.6 million and $35.7 million for the nine months ended September 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 (expense) income, 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 (expense) income, 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 September 30, 2014 and 2013, we recorded a $41.2 million and a $0.2 million impairment charge, respectively, for other-than-temporary declines in fair value related to unrealized losses on certain investments. For the nine months ended September 30, 2014 and 2013, we recorded a $41.6 million and a $0.8 million impairment charge, respectively, for other-than-temporary declines in fair value related to unrealized losses on certain investments. The third quarter 2014 impairment charges were recorded in anticipation of a strategic change in the management of our trust assets requiring the liquidation of a majority of our US trust assets subsequent to quarter end. This change does not impact our asset allocation, but does change the underlying legal structure housing the assets. These impairment charges reflect the unrealized loss positions on these liquidated assets as of September 30, 2014.
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 September 30, 2014 and December 31, 2013, respectively, are shown in the following tables:
	September 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	$	10,030			$	(53	)		$	—			$	—			$	10,030	$	(53	)
Canadian government	4,216				(61		)		18,977				(861		)		23,193		(922		)
Corporate	9,001				(126		)		—				—				9,001		(126		)
Residential mortgage-backed	167				(2		)		412				(19		)		579		(21		)
Equity securities:
Common stock:
United States	88,625				(126		)		—				—				88,625		(126		)
Canada	1,580				(252		)		1,678				(30		)		3,258		(282		)
Other international	7,964				(2		)		—				—				7,964		(2		)
Mutual funds:
Equity	151,716				(586		)		—				—				151,716		(586		)
Fixed income	102,035				(1,125		)		—				—				102,035		(1,125		)
Private equity	—				—				15,501				(7,112		)		15,501		(7,112		)
Other	714				(22		)		—				—				714		(22		)
Total temporarily impaired securities	$	376,048			$	(2,355	)		$	36,568			$	(8,022	)		$	412,616	$	(10,377	)
	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	$	29,092			$	(3,595	)		$	19,708			$	(2,004	)		$	48,800	$	(5,599	)
Canadian government	9,546				(120		)		18,981				(993		)		28,527		(1,113		)
Corporate	21,568				(346		)		5,668				(345		)		27,236		(691		)
Residential mortgage-backed	1,401				(25		)		175				(8		)		1,576		(33		)
Asset-backed	3,321				(10		)		—				—				3,321		(10		)
Equity securities:
Preferred stock	14,223				(235		)		—				—				14,223		(235		)
Common stock:
United States	47,190				(2,153		)		3,386				(775		)		50,576		(2,928		)
Canada	2,441				(576		)		1,992				(641		)		4,433		(1,217		)
Other international	3,443				(138		)		376				(60		)		3,819		(198		)
Mutual funds:
Equity	16,430				(337		)		12,686				(1,966		)		29,116		(2,303		)
Fixed income	145,845				(4,984		)		38,922				(14,593		)		184,767		(19,577		)
Private equity	—				—				13,002				(8,726		)		13,002		(8,726		)
Other	—				—				527				(33		)		527		(33		)
Total temporarily impaired securities	$	294,500			$	(12,519	)		$	115,423			$	(30,144	)		$	409,923	$	(42,663	)

Preneed_Cemetery_Activities_No

Preneed Cemetery Activities (Notes) (Cemetery)	9 Months Ended
	Sep. 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								Nine Months Ended
		September 30,								September 30,
		2014				2013				2014				2013
		(In thousands)
	Deposits	$	34,018			$	27,407			$	95,421			$	81,019
	Withdrawals	33,669				26,542				96,238				89,881
	Purchases of available-for-sale securities	247,853				98,803				458,176				395,200
	Sales of available-for-sale securities	285,411				73,171				481,258				407,503
	Realized gains from sales of available-for-sale securities	40,635				19,965				86,822				66,284
	Realized losses from sales of available-for-sale securities	(4,439		)		(3,454		)		(10,564		)		(12,509		)
	The components of Preneed cemetery receivables, net and trust investments in our unaudited condensed consolidated balance sheet at September 30, 2014 and December 31, 2013 are as follows:
		September 30, 2014				December 31, 2013
		(In thousands)
	Trust investments, at fair value	$	1,478,069			$	1,532,875
	Cash and cash equivalents	127,576				138,459
	Assets associated with businesses held for sale	(28,179		)		(106,815		)
	Insurance-backed fixed income securities	13				4
	Trust investments	1,577,479				1,564,523
	Receivables from customers	856,330				798,365
	Unearned finance charges	(32,277		)		(29,604		)
		2,401,532				2,333,284
	Allowance for cancellation	(64,140		)		(55,922		)
	Preneed cemetery receivables, net and trust investments	$	2,337,392			$	2,277,362
	Our cemetery merchandise and service trust investments are recorded at fair value. The costs and fair values at September 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.
		September 30, 2014
		Fair Value Hierarchy Level		Cost				Unrealized				Unrealized				Fair
								Gains				Losses				Value
								(In thousands)
	Fixed income securities:
	U.S. Treasury	2		$	101,400			$	1,617			$	(2	)		$	103,015
	Canadian government	2		17,719				217				(157		)		17,779
	Corporate	2		41,849				5,010				(167		)		46,692
	Residential mortgage-backed	2		132				3				(2		)		133
	Asset-backed	2		169				13				—				182
	Equity securities:
	Preferred stock	2		9,938				522				—				10,460
	Common stock:
	United States	1		372,178				112,471				—				484,649
	Canada	1		13,207				5,712				(377		)		18,542
	Other international	1		32,440				8,528				—				40,968
	Mutual funds:
	Equity	1		372,803				42,998				—				415,801
	Fixed income	1		301,458				7,195				(656		)		307,997
	Private equity	3		30,240				4,647				(4,050		)		30,837
	Other	3		818				196				—				1,014
	Trust investments			$	1,294,351			$	189,129			$	(5,411	)		$	1,478,069
		31-Dec-13
		Fair Value Hierarchy Level		Cost				Unrealized				Unrealized				Fair
								Gains				Losses				Value
								(In thousands)
	Fixed income securities:
	U.S. Treasury	2		$	112,112			$	1,714			$	(8,876	)		$	104,950
	Canadian government	2		17,073				170				(261		)		16,982
	Corporate	2		48,363				5,262				(646		)		52,979
	Residential mortgage-backed	2		402				2				(2		)		402
	Asset-backed	2		3,299				—				(13		)		3,286
	Equity securities:
	Preferred stock	2		16,458				1,106				(123		)		17,441
	Common stock:
United States	1		417,335				147,258				(3,231		)		561,362
Canada	1		15,337				4,063				(935		)		18,465
Other international	1		43,417				10,079				(200		)		53,296
Mutual funds:
Equity	1		321,770				49,428				(1,704		)		369,494
Fixed income	1		334,542				5,236				(33,649		)		306,129
Private equity	3		28,625				3,372				(5,153		)		26,844
Other	3		1,078				200				(33		)		1,245
Trust investments			$	1,359,811			$	227,890			$	(54,826	)		$	1,532,875
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 September 30, 2014, our unfunded commitment for our private equity and other investments was $27.7 million which, if called, would be funded by the assets of the trusts. Our private equity and other investments include several funds that invest in limited partnerships, distressed debt, real estate, and mezzanine financing. These investments can never be redeemed by the funds. Instead, 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-Sep-14								30-Sep-13
	Private Equity				Other				Private Equity				Other
	(In thousands)
Fair value, beginning balance	$	27,557			$	1,078			$	26,627			$	1,258
Net unrealized gains (losses) included in Accumulated other comprehensive income(1)	1,056				(186		)		2,015				277
Net realized losses included in Other (expense) income, net(2)	(8		)		(5		)		—				—
Contributions	5,379				127				21				—
Distributions and other	(3,147		)		—				(1,248		)		(205		)
Fair value, ending balance	$	30,837			$	1,014			$	27,415			$	1,330
	Nine Months Ended
	30-Sep-14								30-Sep-13
	Private Equity				Other				Private Equity				Other
	(In thousands)
Fair value, beginning balance	$	26,844			$	1,245			$	17,687			$	450
Net unrealized gains (losses) included in Accumulated other comprehensive income(1)	2,666				(149		)		15,245				1,253
Net realized losses included in Other (expense) income, net(2)	(23		)		(6		)		(13		)		(3		)
Contributions	6,404				127				2,356				—
Distributions and other	(5,054		)		(203		)		(7,860		)		(370		)
Fair value, ending balance	$	30,837			$	1,014			$	27,415			$	1,330
-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 (expense) income, net for our cemetery merchandise and service trust investments are attributable to our preneed customers and are offset by a corresponding reclassification in Other (expense) income, 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 September 30, 2014 are estimated as follows:
	Fair Value
	(In thousands)
Due in one year or less	$	9,700
Due in one to five years	75,924
Due in five to ten years	34,330
Thereafter	47,847
	$	167,801
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 was $12.2 million and $9.2 million for the three months ended September 30, 2014 and 2013, respectively. Recognized trust fund income (realized and unrealized) related to these trust investments was $36.2 million and $28.1 million for the nine months ended September 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 (expense) income, 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 (expense) income, 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 September 30, 2014 and 2013, we recorded a $59.3 million and a $0.2 million impairment charge, respectively, for other-than-temporary declines in fair value related to unrealized losses on certain investments. For the nine months ended September 30, 2014 and 2013, we recorded a $59.8 million and a $1.5 million impairment charge, respectively, for other-than-temporary declines in fair value related to unrealized losses on certain investments. The third quarter 2014 impairment charges were recorded in anticipation of a strategic change in the management of our trust assets requiring the liquidation of a majority of our US trust assets subsequent to quarter end. This change does not impact our asset allocation, but does change the underlying legal structure housing the assets. These impairment charges reflect the unrealized loss positions on these liquidated assets as of September 30, 2014.
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 September 30, 2014 are shown in the following tables:
	September 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	$	18,019			$	(2	)		$	—			$	—			$	18,019	$	(2	)
Canadian government	4,848				(79		)		2,573				(78		)		7,421		(157		)
Corporate	12,875				(167		)		—				—				12,875		(167		)
Residential mortgage-backed	—				—				45				(2		)		45		(2		)
Equity securities:
Common stock:
Canada	1,450				(318		)		1,281				(59		)		2,731		(377		)
Mutual funds:
Fixed income	103,587				(656		)		—				—				103,587		(656		)
Private equity	—				—				8,682				(4,050		)		8,682		(4,050		)
Total temporarily impaired securities	$	140,779			$	(1,222	)		$	12,581			$	(4,189	)		$	153,360	$	(5,411	)
	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	$	44,543			$	(6,040	)		$	24,668			$	(2,836	)		$	69,211	$	(8,876	)
Canadian government	9,424				(120		)		3,066				(141		)		12,490		(261		)
Corporate	14,908				(424		)		3,055				(222		)		17,963		(646		)
Residential mortgage-backed	143				(2		)		—				—				143		(2		)
Asset-backed	3,215				(13		)		—				—				3,215		(13		)
Equity securities:
Preferred stock	5,532				(123		)		—				—				5,532		(123		)
Common stock:
United States	45,730				(2,648		)		3,447				(583		)		49,177		(3,231		)
Canada	1,562				(502		)		1,935				(433		)		3,497		(935		)
Other international	4,288				(124		)		692				(76		)		4,980		(200		)
Mutual funds:
Equity	3,809				(54		)		14,260				(1,650		)		18,069		(1,704		)
Fixed income	132,945				(5,527		)		63,050				(28,122		)		195,995		(33,649		)
Private equity	—				—				6,589				(5,153		)		6,589		(5,153		)
Other	—				—				283				(33		)		283		(33		)
Total temporarily impaired securities	$	266,099			$	(15,577	)		$	121,045			$	(39,249	)		$	387,144	$	(54,826	)

Cemetery_Perpetual_Care_Trusts

Cemetery Perpetual Care Trusts (Notes) (Cemetery Perpetual Care)	9 Months Ended
	Sep. 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 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								Nine Months Ended
		September 30,								September 30,
		2014				2013				2014				2013
		(In thousands)
	Deposits	$	9,202			$	6,139			$	29,439			$	19,789
	Withdrawals	8,680				9,388				23,879				26,009
	Purchases of available-for-sale securities	169,973				23,050				233,795				113,497
	Sales of available-for-sale securities	172,646				25,805				251,719				82,556
	Realized gains from sales of available-for-sale securities	7,034				4,871				21,903				13,772
	Realized losses from sales of available-for-sale securities	(935		)		(966		)		(1,599		)		(1,728		)
	The components of Cemetery perpetual care trust investments in our unaudited condensed consolidated balance sheet at September 30, 2014 and December 31, 2013 are as follows:
		September 30, 2014				December 31, 2013
		(In thousands)
	Trust investments, at fair value	$	1,301,272			$	1,348,059
	Cash and cash equivalents	102,421				78,509
	Assets associated with businesses held for sale	(22,144		)		(86,726		)
	Cemetery perpetual care trust investments	$	1,381,549			$	1,339,842
	Our cemetery perpetual care trust investments are recorded at fair value. The cost and fair values at September 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-Sep-14
		Fair Value Hierarchy Level		Cost				Unrealized				Unrealized				Fair
								Gains				Losses				Value
								(In thousands)
	Fixed income securities:
	U.S. Treasury	2		$	806			$	24			$	(3	)		$	827
	Canadian government	2		28,385				380				(275		)		28,490
	Corporate	2		19,656				406				(289		)		19,773
	Residential mortgage-backed	2		1,057				15				(12		)		1,060
	Asset-backed	2		823				17				—				840
	Equity securities:
	Preferred stock	2		6,763				237				(1		)		6,999
	Common stock:
	United States	1		178,667				51,080				(107		)		229,640
	Canada	1		7,698				3,203				(296		)		10,605
	Other international	1		6,131				1,545				—				7,676
	Mutual funds:
	Equity	1		55,475				6,406				(15		)		61,866
	Fixed income	1		853,113				41,722				(110		)		894,725
	Private equity	3		36,778				433				(10,429		)		26,782
	Other	3		12,357				1,444				(1,812		)		11,989
	Cemetery perpetual care trust investments			$	1,207,709			$	106,912			$	(13,349	)		$	1,301,272
		31-Dec-13
		Fair Value Hierarchy Level		Cost				Unrealized				Unrealized				Fair
								Gains				Losses				Value
								(In thousands)
	Fixed income securities:
	U.S. Treasury	2		$	1,583			$	9			$	(14	)		$	1,578
	Canadian government	2		28,487				301				(459		)		28,329
	Corporate	2		43,107				311				(263		)		43,155
	Residential mortgage-backed	2		4,242				14				(19		)		4,237
	Asset-backed	2		2,996				4				(11		)		2,989
	Equity securities:
	Preferred stock	2		25,860				192				(252		)		25,800
	Common stock:
	United States	1		230,174				53,782				(2,087		)		281,869
	Canada	1		8,843				2,222				(623		)		10,442
	Other international	1		20,598				1,320				(167		)		21,751
	Mutual funds:
	Equity	1		41,114				5,693				(35		)		46,772
	Fixed income	1		816,405				35,964				(2,598		)		849,771
	Private equity	3		28,309				472				(9,002		)		19,779
Other	3		10,518				1,153				(84		)		11,587
Cemetery perpetual care trust investments			$	1,262,236			$	101,437			$	(15,614	)		$	1,348,059
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 September 30, 2014, our unfunded commitment for our private equity and other investments was $10.1 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 perpetual care trust investments with significant unobservable inputs (Level 3) is as follows:
	Three Months Ended
	30-Sep-14								30-Sep-13
	Private Equity				Other				Private Equity				Other
	(In thousands)
Fair value, beginning balance	$	21,274			$	11,983			$	18,649			$	10,815
Net unrealized (losses) gains included in Accumulated other comprehensive income(1)	(206		)		23				1,315				492
Net realized losses included in Other (expense) income, net(2)	(13		)		(17		)		(5		)		(3		)
Contributions	9,058				—				—				—
Distributions and other	(3,331		)		—				(122		)		(139		)
Fair value, ending balance	$	26,782			$	11,989			$	19,837			$	11,165
	Nine Months Ended
	30-Sep-14								30-Sep-13
	Private Equity				Other				Private Equity				Other
	(In thousands)
Fair market value, beginning balance	$	19,779			$	11,587			$	11,122			$	7,659
Net unrealized gains included in Accumulated other comprehensive income(1)	1,091				704				7,404				3,926
Net realized losses included in Other (expense) income, net(2)	(37		)		(29		)		(100		)		(56		)
Sales	(17		)		—				—				—
Contributions	10,461				—				2,317				—
Distributions and other	(4,495		)		(273		)		(906		)		(364		)
Fair market value, ending balance	$	26,782			$	11,989			$	19,837			$	11,165
-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 (expense) income, net for our cemetery perpetual care trust investments are offset by a corresponding reclassification in Other (expense) income, 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 September 30, 2014 are estimated as follows:
	Fair Value
	(In thousands)
Due in one year or less	$	14,290
Due in one to five years	26,786
Due in five to ten years	9,086
Thereafter	828
	$	50,990
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 was $10.9 million and $9.5 million for the three months ended September 30, 2014 and 2013, respectively. Recognized trust fund income related to these trust investments was $39.9 million and $31.2 million for the nine months ended September 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 (expense) income, net and a decrease to Cemetery perpetual care trust investments. These investment losses, if any, are offset by the corresponding reclassification in Other (expense) income, net, which reduces Care trusts’ corpus. See Note 7 for further information related to our Care trusts’ corpus. For the three months ended September 30, 2014 and 2013, we recorded a $8.0 million and $0.0 million impairment charge, respectively, for other-than-temporary declines in fair value related to unrealized losses on certain investments. For the nine months ended September 30, 2014 and 2013, we recorded a $8.1 million and $0.2 million impairment charge, respectively, for other-than-temporary declines in fair value related to unrealized losses on certain investments. The third quarter 2014 impairment charges were recorded in anticipation of a strategic change in the management of our trust assets requiring the liquidation of a majority of our US trust assets subsequent to quarter end. This change does not impact our asset allocation, but does change the underlying legal structure housing the assets. These impairment charges reflect the unrealized loss positions on these liquidated assets as of September 30, 2014.
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.
	September 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	$	494			$	(3	)		$	—			$	—			$	494	$	(3	)
Canadian government	7,820				(137		)		4,145				(138		)		11,965		(275		)
Corporate	5,238				(107		)		4,069				(182		)		9,307		(289		)
Residential mortgage-backed	197				(3		)		240				(9		)		437		(12		)
Equity securities:
Preferred stock	1,861				(1		)		—				—				1,861		(1		)
Common stock:
United States	32,475				(107		)		—				—				32,475		(107		)
Canada	1,113				(83		)		1,237				(213		)		2,350		(296		)
Mutual funds:
Equity	32,624				(15		)		—				—				32,624		(15		)
Fixed income	321,197				(110		)		—				—				321,197		(110		)
Private equity	10,428				(462		)		15,886				(9,967		)		26,314		(10,429		)
Other	4,085				(191		)		6,183				(1,621		)		10,268		(1,812		)
Total temporarily impaired securities	$	417,532			$	(1,219	)		$	31,760			$	(12,130	)		$	449,292	$	(13,349	)
	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	$	1,334			$	(14	)		$	—			$	—			$	1,334	$	(14	)
Canadian government	15,777				(214		)		5,131				(245		)		20,908		(459		)
Corporate	22,482				(129		)		3,298				(134		)		25,780		(263		)
Residential mortgage-backed	2,950				(18		)		10				(1		)		2,960		(19		)
Asset-backed	2,826				(10		)		15				(1		)		2,841		(11		)
Equity securities:
Preferred stock	14,602				(245		)		43				(7		)		14,645		(252		)
Common stock:
United States	23,747				(1,561		)		3,234				(526		)		26,981		(2,087		)
Canada	667				(129		)		1,794				(494		)		2,461		(623		)
Other international	1,535				(54		)		521				(113		)		2,056		(167		)
Mutual funds:
Equity	389				(14		)		162				(21		)		551		(35		)
Fixed income	181,104				(2,090		)		28,304				(508		)		209,408		(2,598		)
Private equity	—				—				19,242				(9,002		)		19,242		(9,002		)
Other	—				—				9,739				(84		)		9,739		(84		)
Total temporarily impaired securities	$	267,413			$	(4,478	)		$	71,493			$	(11,136	)		$	338,906	$	(15,614	)

Deferred_Preneed_Funeral_and_C

Deferred Preneed Funeral and Cemetery Receipts Held in Trust and Care Trusts' Corpus (Notes)	9 Months Ended
	Sep. 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 September 30, 2014 and December 31, 2013 are detailed below.
		September 30, 2014									December 31, 2013
		Preneed			Preneed			Total			Preneed			Preneed			Total
		Funeral			Cemetery						Funeral			Cemetery
		(In thousands)
	Trust investments	$	1,664,248		$	1,577,479		$	3,241,727		$	1,683,988		$	1,564,523		$	3,248,511
	Accrued trust operating payables and other	(3,545		)	(4,108		)	(7,653		)	(1,108		)	(1,698		)	(2,806		)
	Deferred preneed funeral and cemetery receipts held in trust	$	1,660,703		$	1,573,371		$	3,234,074		$	1,682,880		$	1,562,825		$	3,245,705
	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 September 30, 2014 and December 31, 2013 are detailed below.
		September 30, 2014			December 31, 2013
		(In thousands)
	Cemetery perpetual care trust investments	$	1,381,549		$	1,339,842
	Accrued trust operating payables and other	(1,453		)	(1,661		)
	Care trusts’ corpus	$	1,380,096		$	1,338,181
	Other (Expense) Income, Net
	The components of Other (expense) income, net in our unaudited condensed consolidated statement of operations for the three and nine months ended September 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 September 30, 2014
		Funeral			Cemetery			Cemetery Perpetual			Other, Net			Total
		Trusts			Trusts			Care Trusts
					(In thousands)
	Realized gains	$	18,935		$	40,635		$	7,034		$	—		$	66,604
	Realized losses	(2,094		)	(4,439		)	(935		)	—			(7,468		)
	Impairment charges	(41,244		)	(59,311		)	(8,025		)	—			(108,580		)
	Interest, dividend, and other ordinary income	1,849			2,681			5,494			—			10,024
	Trust expenses and income taxes	(6,748		)	(6,541		)	(631		)	—			(13,920		)
	Net trust investment income	(29,302		)	(26,975		)	2,937			—			(53,340		)
	Reclassification to deferred preneed funeral and cemetery receipts held in trust and care trusts’ corpus	29,302			26,975			(2,937		)	—			53,340
	Other (expense) income, net	—			—			—			(9		)	(9		)
	Total other (expense) income, net	$	—		$	—		$	—		$	(9	)	$	(9	)
		Nine Months Ended September 30, 2014
		Funeral			Cemetery			Cemetery Perpetual			Other, Net			Total
		Trusts			Trusts			Care Trusts
					(In thousands)
	Realized gains	$	50,947		$	86,822		$	21,903		$	—		$	159,672
	Realized losses	(6,233		)	(10,564		)	(1,599		)	—			(18,396		)
	Impairment charges	(41,614		)	(59,829		)	(8,072		)	—			(109,515		)
	Interest, dividend, and other ordinary income	15,323			10,157			27,465			—			52,945
	Trust expenses and income taxes	(16,193		)	(15,733		)	(4,305		)	—			(36,231		)
	Net trust investment income	2,230			10,853			35,392			—			48,475
	Reclassification to deferred preneed funeral and cemetery receipts held in trust and care trusts’ corpus	(2,230		)	(10,853		)	(35,392		)	—			(48,475		)
	Other (expense) income, net	—			—			—			1,577			1,577
	Total other (expense) income, net	$	—		$	—		$	—		$	1,577		$	1,577
		Three Months Ended September 30, 2013
		Funeral			Cemetery			Cemetery Perpetual			Other, Net			Total
		Trusts			Trusts			Care Trusts
					(In thousands)
	Realized gains	$	12,953		$	19,965		$	4,871		$	—		$	37,789
	Realized losses	(2,212		)	(3,454		)	(966		)	—			(6,632		)
	Impairment charges	(157		)	(218		)	—			—			(375		)
	Interest, dividend, and other ordinary income	2,470			3,171			5,372			—			11,013
	Trust expenses and income taxes	(2,705		)	(3,512		)	(273		)	—			(6,490		)
	Net trust investment income	10,349			15,952			9,004			—			35,305
	Reclassification to deferred preneed funeral and cemetery receipts held in trust and care trusts’ corpus	(10,349		)	(15,952		)	(9,004		)	—			(35,305		)
	Other (expense) income, net	—			—			—			667			667
	Total other (expense) income, net	$	—		$	—		$	—		$	667		$	667
		Nine Months Ended September 30, 2013
		Funeral			Cemetery			Cemetery Perpetual			Other, Net			Total
		Trusts			Trusts			Care Trusts
				(In thousands)
Realized gains	$	41,654		$	66,284		$	13,772		$	—		$	121,710
Realized losses	(8,378		)	(12,509		)	(1,728		)	—			(22,615		)
Impairment charges	(803		)	(1,515		)	(189		)	—			(2,507		)
Interest, dividend, and other ordinary income	18,493			13,615			19,245			—			51,353
Trust expenses and income taxes	(7,743		)	(10,268		)	(1,857		)	—			(19,868		)
Net trust investment income	43,223			55,607			29,243			—			128,073
Reclassification to deferred preneed funeral and cemetery receipts held in trust and care trusts’ corpus	(43,223		)	(55,607		)	(29,243		)	—			(128,073		)
Other (expense) income, net	—			—			—			(1,013		)	(1,013		)
Total other (expense) income, net	$	—		$	—		$	—		$	(1,013	)	$	(1,013	)

Income_Taxes_Notes

Income Taxes (Notes)	9 Months Ended
	Sep. 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 81.7% and 40.3% for the three months ended September 30, 2014 and 2013, respectively. Our effective tax rate was 60.0% and 38.5% for the nine months ended September 30, 2014 and 2013, respectively. The higher effective tax rate for the nine months ended September 30, 2014 is above the 35% federal statutory tax rate primarily due to nondeductible goodwill resulting in gains on required divestitures associated with the Stewart acquisition coupled with state tax expense partially offset by lower rates on foreign earnings.
	Unrecognized Tax Benefits
	As of September 30, 2014, the gross amount of our unrecognized tax benefits was $135.4 million and the gross amount of our accrued interest was $46.9 million. Additional interest expense of $2.3 million was accrued during the nine months ended September 30, 2014.
	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 SCI Funeral & Cemetery Purchasing Cooperative, Inc., 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)	9 Months Ended
	Sep. 30, 2014
Debt [Abstract]	'
Debt Disclosure	'
	Debt
	Debt as of September 30, 2014 and December 31, 2013 was as follows:
		September 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	377,500			600,000
	Bank credit facility due July 2018	235,000			30,000
	Obligations under capital leases	186,596			189,697
	Mortgage notes and other debt, maturities through 2050	4,221			4,752
	Unamortized (discounts) premiums and other, net	(3,062		)	42,084
	Total debt	3,067,766			3,301,910
	Less:
	Current maturities of debt, capital lease obligations, and mortgage notes	(109,907		)	(153,738		)
	Current maturities of unamortized discounts (premiums) and other, net	641			(22,624		)
	Total current maturities	(109,266		)	(176,362		)
	Total long-term debt	$	2,958,500		$	3,125,548
	Current maturities of debt at September 30, 2014 primarily comprise our capital leases and amounts due under our term loan. Our consolidated debt had a weighted average interest rate of 5.19% and 5.25% at September 30, 2014 and December 31, 2013, respectively. Approximately 74% and 76% of our total debt had a fixed interest rate at September 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 September 30, 2014, we have $235.0 million outstanding borrowings under our bank credit facility and have issued $31.7 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 September 30, 2014. As of September 30, 2014, we have $233.3 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 nine months ended September 30, 2014, we made debt payments of $985.8 million for scheduled and early extinguishment payments as follows:
	•	$250.0 million in aggregate principal of our 7.0% Senior Notes due May 2019;
	•	$222.5 million in aggregate principal of our Term Loan due July 2018;
	•	$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;
	•	$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
	•	$0.4 million in other debt.
	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 nine months of 2013, we paid an aggregate of $19.7 million to retire $19.6 million in capital leases obligations and $0.1 million to retire other debt. Certain of the above transactions resulted in the recognition of a gain of $0.5 million recorded in (Losses) gains on early extinguishment of debt, net in our unaudited condensed consolidated statement of operations.
	Capital Leases
	During the nine months ended September 30, 2014 and 2013, we acquired $31.1 million and $34.0 million, respectively, of capital leases, primarily related to transportation equipment. We retired $22.1 million and $19.6 million of capital lease obligations for the nine months ended September 30, 2014 and 2013, respectively.

Credit_Risk_and_Fair_Value_of_

Credit Risk and Fair Value of Financial Instruments (Notes)	9 Months Ended
	Sep. 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 September 30, 2014 and December 31, 2013 was as follows:
		September 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	209,466		214,904
	3.375% Senior Convertible Notes due July 2016	160		60,487
	7.0% Senior Notes due June 2017	321,550		333,259
	7.625% Senior Notes due October 2018	283,125		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	201,250		192,610
	8.0% Senior Notes due November 2021	172,913		173,625
	5.375% Senior Notes due January 2022	427,210		431,588
	5.375% Senior Notes due May 2024	551,485		—
	7.5% Senior Notes due April 2027	220,750		215,750
	Term Loan due July 2018	377,500		600,000
	Bank credit facility due July 2018	235,000		30,000
	Mortgage notes and other debt, maturities through 2050	4,221		4,752
	Total fair value of debt instruments	$	3,004,630	$	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)	9 Months Ended
	Sep. 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 nine months ended September 30, 2014:
			Nine Months Ended
	Assumptions		September 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 nine months ended September 30, 2014:
		Options			Weighted-Average
					Exercise Price
	Outstanding at December 31, 2013	13,319,750			$	9.84
	Granted	2,495,850			$	17.41
	Exercised	(2,865,060	)		$	9.85
	Canceled	(26,034	)		$	15.77
	Outstanding at September 30, 2014	12,924,506			$	11.29
	Exercisable at September 30, 2014	8,464,756			$	8.88
	As of September 30, 2014, the unrecognized compensation expense related to stock options of $10.8 million is expected to be recognized over a weighted average period of 1.4 years.
	Restricted Shares
	Restricted share activity for the nine months ended September 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	351,860			$	17.6
	Vested	(187,549	)		$	11.44
	Nonvested restricted shares at September 30, 2014	1,347,540			$	13.35
	As of September 30, 2014, the unrecognized compensation expense related to restricted shares of $8.0 million is expected to be recognized over a weighted average period of 1.4 years.

Equity_Notes

Equity (Notes)	9 Months Ended
	Sep. 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	(13,732		)	—			(13,732		)
	Reclassification of foreign currency translation adjustments to Net income from discontinued operations	3,114			—			3,114
	Increase in unrealized gains associated with available-for-sale securities of the trusts, net of taxes	—			11,672			11,672
	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	—			(11,672		)	(11,672		)
	Balance at September 30, 2014	$	77,823		$	—		$	77,823
	Balance at December 31, 2012	$	111,717		$	—		$	111,717
	Activity in 2013	(9,768		)	—			(9,768		)
	Increase in net unrealized gains associated with available-for-sale securities of the trusts, net of taxes	—			67,271			67,271
	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	—			(67,271		)	(67,271		)
	Balance at September 30, 2013	$	101,949		$	—		$	101,949
	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. We sold our operations in Germany on July 8, 2014 and reclassified foreign currency translation adjustments related to Germany to Net income from discontinued operations.
	Cash Dividends
	On August 13, 2014, our Board of Directors approved a cash dividend of $0.09 per common share. This dividend, totaling $19.0 million, was paid on September 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. Under the program, during the nine months ended September 30, 2014, we repurchased 6,280,649 shares of common stock at an aggregate cost of $129.1 million, which is an average cost per share of $20.56. After these repurchases, the remaining dollar value of shares authorized to be purchased under our share repurchase program was approximately $61.0 million at September 30, 2014.
	Subsequent to September 30, 2014, we repurchased 1,725,875 shares of common stock at an aggregate cost of $36.3 million million, which is an average cost per share of $21.06. After these fourth quarter repurchases, the remaining dollar value of shares authorized to be purchased under our share repurchase program is approximately $24.7 million.

Segment_Reporting_Notes

Segment Reporting (Notes)	9 Months Ended
	Sep. 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 September 30,
	Revenues from external customers:
	2014	$	458,941		$	259,373		$	718,314
	2013	$	398,220		$	210,369		$	608,589
	Gross profits:
	2014	$	88,122		$	60,176		$	148,298
	2013	$	66,812		$	48,993		$	115,805
	Nine Months Ended September 30,
	Revenues from external customers:
	2014	$	1,447,526		$	763,043		$	2,210,569
	2013	$	1,272,850		$	610,388		$	1,883,238
	Gross profits:
	2014	$	305,277		$	165,125		$	470,402
	2013	$	266,872		$	134,243		$	401,115
	The following table reconciles gross profits from reportable segments to our consolidated income before income taxes:
		Three Months Ended						Nine Months Ended
		September 30,						September 30,
		2014			2013			2014			2013
		(In thousands)
	Gross profits from reportable segments	$	148,298		$	115,805		$	470,402		$	401,115
	General and administrative expenses	(39,748		)	(33,740		)	(141,885		)	(96,042		)
	Gains (losses) on divestitures and impairment charges, net	26,570			981			58,752			(5,533		)
	Operating income	135,120			83,046			387,269			299,540
	Interest expense	(43,376		)	(38,080		)	(134,679		)	(103,589		)
	(Losses) gains on early extinguishment of debt	—			—			(29,158		)	468
	Other expense (income), net	(9		)	667			1,577			(1,013		)
	Income before income taxes	$	91,735		$	45,633		$	225,009		$	195,406
	Our geographic area information is as follows:
		United			Canada			Total
		States
					(In thousands)
	Three Months Ended September 30,
	Revenues from external customers:
	2014	$	671,949		$	46,365		$	718,314
	2013	$	552,128		$	56,461		$	608,589
	Nine Months Ended September 30,
	Revenues from external customers:
	2014	$	2,062,231		$	148,338		$	2,210,569
	2013	$	1,717,909		$	165,329		$	1,883,238

Supplementary_Information_Note

Supplementary Information (Notes)	9 Months Ended
	Sep. 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								Nine Months Ended
		September 30,								September 30,
		2014				2013				2014		2013
		(In thousands)
	Property and merchandise revenues:
	Funeral	$	146,786			$	137,507			$	467,170	$	440,071
	Cemetery	183,139				153,770				527,501		433,249
	Total property and merchandise revenues	329,925				291,277				994,671		873,320
	Services revenues:
	Funeral	276,916				230,658				878,154		745,344
	Cemetery	65,229				49,920				207,861		157,705
	Total services revenues	342,145				280,578				1,086,015		903,049
	Other revenues	46,244				36,734				129,883		106,869
	Total revenues	$	718,314			$	608,589			$	2,210,569	$	1,883,238
	Property and merchandise costs and expenses:
	Funeral	$	68,943			$	62,604			$	224,192	$	203,423
	Cemetery	78,690				62,429				234,338		183,500
	Total cost of property and merchandise	147,633				125,033				458,530		386,923
	Services costs and expenses:
	Funeral	157,846				137,661				479,586		411,958
	Cemetery	34,398				24,318				110,459		76,869
	Total cost of services	192,244				161,979				590,045		488,827
	Overhead and other expense	230,139				205,772				691,592		606,373
	Total costs and expenses	$	570,016			$	492,784			$	1,740,167	$	1,482,123
	Non-Cash Investing Transactions
			Nine Months Ended
			September 30,
			2014				2013
			(In thousands)
	Options exercised by attestation		$	761			$	143
	Shares repurchased		$	(761	)		$	(143	)

Commitments_and_Contingencies_

Commitments and Contingencies (Notes)	9 Months Ended
	Sep. 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 September 30, 2014 and December 31, 2013, we have self-insurance reserves of $76.2 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.
	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 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. In October 2014, we settled claims of certain individuals in these cases for an amount which is not material to SCI, and we expect these cases to be dismissed. Accordingly, we consider this matter to be closed.
	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 involved in the following lawsuits.
	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.
	S.E. Funeral Homes of California, Inc. v. The Roman Catholic Archbishop of Los Angeles, et al.; Case No. BC559142; in the Superior Court of the State of California for the County of Los Angeles. The plaintiff is a company indirectly owned by Stewart Enterprises, Inc. The plaintiff filed this action in September 2014 to prevent The Roman Catholic Archbishop of Los Angeles (the “Archdiocese”) from terminating six ground leases. In reliance on the leases having 40 year terms beginning at the earliest in 1997, the plaintiff had previously made material investments since 1997 in constructing and operating funeral homes, chapels, mausoleums, and other improvements on the leased premises. In addition, the plaintiff has created a material backlog of deferred preneed revenue that plaintiff expects to receive in the coming years. In September 2014, the Archdiocese delivered notices purporting to terminate the leases and alleging that the leases were breached because the plaintiff did not obtain the Archdiocese’s consent before Stewart Enterprises, Inc. entered into a reverse merger with an affiliate of SCI. The plaintiff disputes this contention and seeks, among other things, a declaratory judgment declaring that the Archdiocese’s purported termination notices are invalid, requiring specific performance of the leases, or, in the alternative, awarding plaintiff compensatory damages and damages for unjust enrichment. We cannot quantify the ultimate outcome in this lawsuit.
	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)	9 Months Ended
	Sep. 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				Nine Months Ended
		September 30,				September 30,
		2014		2013		2014		2013
		(In thousands, except per
		share amounts)
	Amounts attributable to common stockholders:
	Net income:
	Net income — basic	$	17,651	$	26,779	$	84,675	$	118,015
	After tax interest on convertible debt	—		13		38		38
	Net income — diluted	$	17,651	$	26,792	$	84,713	$	118,053
	Weighted average shares (denominator):
	Weighted average shares — basic	210,820		211,954		212,009		211,721
	Stock options	2,190		4,295		3,235		4,035
	Convertible debt	—		121		121		121
	Weighted average shares — diluted	213,010		216,370		215,365		215,877
	Net income per share:
	Basic	$	0.08	$	0.13	$	0.4	$	0.56
	Diluted	$	0.08	$	0.12	$	0.39	$	0.55
	Earnings per share from discontinued operations were less than $0.005, therefore net income from continuing operations attributable to common shareholders per share is the same as net income per share in the table above.

Acquisition_Notes

Acquisition (Notes)	9 Months Ended
	Sep. 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	$	11,892
	Other current assets	186,871
	Cemetery property	303,775
	Property and equipment, net	340,697
	Preneed funeral and cemetery receivables and trust investments	648,482
	Finite-lived intangible assets	71,938
	Indefinite-lived intangible assets	79,400
	Acquired assets held for sale	524,293
	Deferred charges and other assets	265,098
	Goodwill	545,843
	Total assets acquired	2,978,289
	Current liabilities	218,920
	Long-term debt	270,668
	Deferred preneed funeral and cemetery revenues and deferred receipts held in trusts	734,765
	Assumed liabilities held for sale	243,955
	Deferred income taxes	56,946
	Other liabilities	287,562
	Total liabilities assumed	1,812,816
	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 nine months 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	$	(13,774	)
	Increase in the fair value of cemetery property	19,000
	Decrease in the fair value of preneed funeral and cemetery receivables and trust investments	(6,528		)
	Decrease in the fair value of finite-lived intangible assets	(34,340		)
	Increase in the fair value of acquired assets held for sale	90,045
	Decrease in the fair value of deferred charges and other assets	(13,222		)
	Decrease in the fair value of deferred preneed funeral and cemetery revenues and deferred receipts held in trust	48,093
	Change in the fair value of acquired assets and liabilities held for sale	(90,318		)
	Decrease in the fair value of deferred income taxes	43,223
	Other	(9,444		)
	Total adjustment to goodwill	$	32,735
	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 $545.8 million in goodwill recognized, $245.6 million was allocated to our cemetery segment and $300.2 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	16,764
	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				$	151,338
	The condensed statement of operations for the three and nine months ended September 30, 2014 includes the results of operations of Stewart. For the three and nine months ended September 30, 2013, the following unaudited pro forma information presents information as if the merger occurred on January 1, 2013:
			Three Months Ended			Nine Months Ended
			30-Sep-13			30-Sep-13
			(In thousands)
	Revenue		$	697,723		$	2,166,050
	Net income		$	25,691		$	126,241
	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)	9 Months Ended
	Sep. 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 nine months ended September 30:
		Three Months Ended						Nine Months Ended
		September 30,						September 30,
		2014			2013			2014			2013
		(In thousands)
	Gains (losses) on divestitures, net	$	26,889		$	981		$	64,753		$	(3,619	)
	Impairment losses	(319		)	—			(6,001		)	$	(1,914	)
		$	26,570		$	981		$	58,752		$	(5,533	)
	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 September 30, 2014 and December 31, 2013 were as follows:
		September 30,			December 31,
		2014			2013
		(In thousands)
	Current assets	$	436		$	4,569
	Preneed funeral and cemetery receivables and trust investments	84,484			346,241
	Cemetery property	9,158			88,131
	Property and equipment, net	10,013			67,394
	Goodwill	10,899			206,117
	Deferred charges and other assets	200			32,989
	Cemetery perpetual care trust investments	22,143			86,726
	Total assets	$	137,333		$	832,167
	Accounts payable and accrued liabilities	441			3,183
	Deferred preneed funeral and cemetery revenues and deferred receipts held in trusts	119,120			427,436
	Care trusts' corpus	22,143			86,726
	Other long term liabilities	227			4,209
	Total liabilities	141,931			521,554
	Net assets held for sale	$	(4,598	)	$	310,613
	Discontinued Operations
	During the nine months ended September 30, we sold our operations in Germany for approximately $5.6 million and are presenting the assets and results of operations as discontinued operations. Assets of discontinued operations at December 31, 2013 were as follows:
		December 31,
		2013
	Current assets	$	4,750
	Property and equipment, net	116
	Deferred charges and other assets	2,375
	Total assets	$	7,241
	Accounts payable and accrued liabilities	4,728
	Deferred preneed funeral revenues	938
	Other long term liabilities	30
	Total liabilities	5,696
	Net assets of discontinued operations	$	1,545
	The results of our discontinued operations for the three and nine months ended September 30, 2014 and 2013 were as follows:
		Three Months Ended						Nine Months Ended
		September 30,						September 30,
		2014			2013			2014			2013
		(In thousands)
	Revenues	$	—		$	1,361		$	1,614		$	4,569
	Costs and expenses	—			(1,111		)	(1,560		)	(3,934		)
	Gain on disposition	884			—			884			—
	Other expense, net	—			(1		)	(2		)	(4		)
	Income from discontinued operations before income taxes	884			249			936			631
	Provision for income taxes	—			(81		)	(90		)	(190		)
	Net income from discontinued operations	$	884		$	168		$	846		$	441

Summary_of_Significant_Account1

Summary of Significant Accounting Policies (Policies)	9 Months Ended
	Sep. 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. The 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 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 (expense) income, 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 (expense) income, 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 (expense) income, 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 (expense) income, 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 (expense) income, net and a decrease to Cemetery perpetual care trust investments. These investment losses, if any, are offset by the corresponding reclassification in Other (expense) income, 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)	9 Months Ended
	Sep. 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 September 30, 2014 are shown in the following tables:
		September 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	$	18,019			$	(2	)		$	—			$	—			$	18,019	$	(2	)
	Canadian government	4,848				(79		)		2,573				(78		)		7,421		(157		)
	Corporate	12,875				(167		)		—				—				12,875		(167		)
	Residential mortgage-backed	—				—				45				(2		)		45		(2		)
	Equity securities:
	Common stock:
	Canada	1,450				(318		)		1,281				(59		)		2,731		(377		)
	Mutual funds:
	Fixed income	103,587				(656		)		—				—				103,587		(656		)
	Private equity	—				—				8,682				(4,050		)		8,682		(4,050		)
	Total temporarily impaired securities	$	140,779			$	(1,222	)		$	12,581			$	(4,189	)		$	153,360	$	(5,411	)
		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	$	44,543			$	(6,040	)		$	24,668			$	(2,836	)		$	69,211	$	(8,876	)
	Canadian government	9,424				(120		)		3,066				(141		)		12,490		(261		)
	Corporate	14,908				(424		)		3,055				(222		)		17,963		(646		)
	Residential mortgage-backed	143				(2		)		—				—				143		(2		)
	Asset-backed	3,215				(13		)		—				—				3,215		(13		)
	Equity securities:
	Preferred stock	5,532				(123		)		—				—				5,532		(123		)
	Common stock:
	United States	45,730				(2,648		)		3,447				(583		)		49,177		(3,231		)
	Canada	1,562				(502		)		1,935				(433		)		3,497		(935		)
	Other international	4,288				(124		)		692				(76		)		4,980		(200		)
	Mutual funds:
	Equity	3,809				(54		)		14,260				(1,650		)		18,069		(1,704		)
	Fixed income	132,945				(5,527		)		63,050				(28,122		)		195,995		(33,649		)
	Private equity	—				—				6,589				(5,153		)		6,589		(5,153		)
	Other	—				—				283				(33		)		283		(33		)
	Total temporarily impaired securities	$	266,099			$	(15,577	)		$	121,045			$	(39,249	)		$	387,144	$	(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.
		September 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	$	494			$	(3	)		$	—			$	—			$	494	$	(3	)
	Canadian government	7,820				(137		)		4,145				(138		)		11,965		(275		)
	Corporate	5,238				(107		)		4,069				(182		)		9,307		(289		)
	Residential mortgage-backed	197				(3		)		240				(9		)		437		(12		)
	Equity securities:
	Preferred stock	1,861				(1		)		—				—				1,861		(1		)
	Common stock:
	United States	32,475				(107		)		—				—				32,475		(107		)
	Canada	1,113				(83		)		1,237				(213		)		2,350		(296		)
	Mutual funds:
	Equity	32,624				(15		)		—				—				32,624		(15		)
	Fixed income	321,197				(110		)		—				—				321,197		(110		)
Private equity	10,428				(462		)		15,886				(9,967		)		26,314		(10,429		)
Other	4,085				(191		)		6,183				(1,621		)		10,268		(1,812		)
Total temporarily impaired securities	$	417,532			$	(1,219	)		$	31,760			$	(12,130	)		$	449,292	$	(13,349	)
	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	$	1,334			$	(14	)		$	—			$	—			$	1,334	$	(14	)
Canadian government	15,777				(214		)		5,131				(245		)		20,908		(459		)
Corporate	22,482				(129		)		3,298				(134		)		25,780		(263		)
Residential mortgage-backed	2,950				(18		)		10				(1		)		2,960		(19		)
Asset-backed	2,826				(10		)		15				(1		)		2,841		(11		)
Equity securities:
Preferred stock	14,602				(245		)		43				(7		)		14,645		(252		)
Common stock:
United States	23,747				(1,561		)		3,234				(526		)		26,981		(2,087		)
Canada	667				(129		)		1,794				(494		)		2,461		(623		)
Other international	1,535				(54		)		521				(113		)		2,056		(167		)
Mutual funds:
Equity	389				(14		)		162				(21		)		551		(35		)
Fixed income	181,104				(2,090		)		28,304				(508		)		209,408		(2,598		)
Private equity	—				—				19,242				(9,002		)		19,242		(9,002		)
Other	—				—				9,739				(84		)		9,739		(84		)
Total temporarily impaired securities	$	267,413			$	(4,478	)		$	71,493			$	(11,136	)		$	338,906	$	(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								Nine Months Ended
		September 30,								September 30,
		2014				2013				2014				2013
		(In thousands)
	Deposits	$	23,618			$	20,187			$	76,490			$	63,802
	Withdrawals	27,718				24,242				103,410				92,491
	Purchases of available-for-sale securities	238,860				125,113				379,650				302,939
	Sales of available-for-sale securities	274,630				91,064				445,880				337,714
	Realized gains from sales of available-for-sale securities	18,935				12,953				50,947				41,654
	Realized losses from sales of available-for-sale securities	(2,094		)		(2,212		)		(6,233		)		(8,378		)
Long-term receivable and investment components	'
	The components of Preneed funeral receivables, net and trust investments in our unaudited condensed consolidated balance sheet at September 30, 2014 and December 31, 2013 are as follows:
		September 30, 2014				December 31, 2013
		(In thousands)
	Trust investments, at fair value	$	1,262,940			$	1,442,418
	Cash and cash equivalents	172,372				128,216
	Assets associated with businesses held for sale	(34,755		)		(167,615		)
	Insurance-backed fixed income securities	263,691				280,969
	Trust investments	1,664,248				1,683,988
	Receivables from customers	263,685				259,801
	Unearned finance charge	(10,675		)		(10,179		)
		1,917,258				1,933,610
	Allowance for cancellation	(40,986		)		(45,339		)
	Preneed funeral receivables, net and trust investments	$	1,876,272			$	1,888,271
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 September 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-Sep-14
		Fair Value Hierarchy Level		Cost				Unrealized				Unrealized				Fair
								Gains				Losses				Value
								(In thousands)
	Fixed income securities:
	U.S. Treasury	2		$	104,517			$	1,365			$	(53	)		$	105,829
	Canadian government	2		94,889				321				(922		)		94,288
	Corporate	2		42,598				3,001				(126		)		45,473
	Residential mortgage-backed	2		1,496				25				(21		)		1,500
	Asset-backed	2		133				2				—				135
	Equity securities:
	Preferred stock	2		8,516				422				—				8,938
	Common stock:
	United States	1		252,015				57,523				(126		)		309,412
	Canada	1		16,510				5,014				(282		)		21,242
	Other international	1		21,202				4,130				(2		)		25,330
	Mutual funds:
	Equity	1		332,092				20,198				(586		)		351,704
	Fixed income	1		259,964				4,651				(1,125		)		263,490
	Private equity	3		33,470				3,577				(7,112		)		29,935
	Other	3		5,204				482				(22		)		5,664
	Trust investments			$	1,172,606			$	100,711			$	(10,377	)		$	1,262,940
		31-Dec-13
		Fair Value Hierarchy Level		Cost				Unrealized				Unrealized				Fair
								Gains				Losses				Value
								(In thousands)
	Fixed income securities:
	U.S. Treasury	2		$	112,173			$	1,299			$	(5,599	)		$	107,873
	Canadian government	2		100,263				81				(1,113		)		99,231
	Corporate	2		64,721				3,515				(691		)		67,545
	Residential mortgage-backed	2		2,446				23				(33		)		2,436
	Asset-backed	2		3,419				—				(10		)		3,409
	Equity securities:
	Preferred stock	2		30,586				755				(235		)		31,106
	Common stock:
	United States	1		371,560				77,962				(2,928		)		446,594
	Canada	1		27,730				4,346				(1,217		)		30,859
	Other international	1		36,149				4,986				(198		)		40,937
	Mutual funds:
	Equity	1		261,598				22,530				(2,303		)		281,825
	Fixed income	1		318,257				3,228				(19,577		)		301,908
	Private equity	3		32,909				2,702				(8,726		)		26,885
	Other	3		1,552				291				(33		)		1,810
	Trust investments			$	1,363,363			$	121,718			$	(42,663	)		$	1,442,418
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
		September 30, 2014								September 30, 2013
		Private Equity				Other				Private Equity				Other
		(In thousands)
	Fair value, beginning balance	$	27,339			$	4,476			$	26,333			$	1,457
	Net unrealized gains included in Accumulated other comprehensive income(1)	265				1,071				1,830				256
	Net realized losses included in Other (expense) income, net(2)	(7		)		(4		)		—				—
	Purchases	289				—				—				—
	Contributions	4,998				121				19				—
	Distributions	(2,949		)		—				(1,197		)		(194		)
	Fair value, ending balance	$	29,935			$	5,664			$	26,985			$	1,519
		Nine Months Ended
		September 30, 2014								September 30, 2013
		Private Equity				Other				Private Equity				Other
		(In thousands)
	Fair value, beginning balance	$	26,885			$	1,810			$	17,879			$	744
	Net unrealized (losses) gains included in Accumulated other comprehensive income(1)	(1,370		)		3,927				14,441				1,126
	Net realized losses included in Other (expense) income, net(2)	(21		)		(5		)		(11		)		(2		)
	Purchases	3,244				—				—				—
	Contributions	5,955				121				2,221				—
	Distributions	(4,758		)		(189		)		(7,545		)		(349		)
	Fair value, ending balance	$	29,935			$	5,664			$	26,985			$	1,519
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 September 30, 2014 are estimated as follows:
		Fair Value
		(In thousands)
	Due in one year or less	$	127,847
	Due in one to five years	52,319
	Due in five to ten years	37,248
	Thereafter	29,811
		$	247,225
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 September 30, 2014 and December 31, 2013, respectively, are shown in the following tables:
		September 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	$	10,030			$	(53	)		$	—			$	—			$	10,030	$	(53	)
	Canadian government	4,216				(61		)		18,977				(861		)		23,193		(922		)
	Corporate	9,001				(126		)		—				—				9,001		(126		)
	Residential mortgage-backed	167				(2		)		412				(19		)		579		(21		)
	Equity securities:
	Common stock:
	United States	88,625				(126		)		—				—				88,625		(126		)
	Canada	1,580				(252		)		1,678				(30		)		3,258		(282		)
	Other international	7,964				(2		)		—				—				7,964		(2		)
	Mutual funds:
	Equity	151,716				(586		)		—				—				151,716		(586		)
	Fixed income	102,035				(1,125		)		—				—				102,035		(1,125		)
	Private equity	—				—				15,501				(7,112		)		15,501		(7,112		)
	Other	714				(22		)		—				—				714		(22		)
	Total temporarily impaired securities	$	376,048			$	(2,355	)		$	36,568			$	(8,022	)		$	412,616	$	(10,377	)
		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	$	29,092			$	(3,595	)		$	19,708			$	(2,004	)		$	48,800	$	(5,599	)
	Canadian government	9,546				(120		)		18,981				(993		)		28,527		(1,113		)
	Corporate	21,568				(346		)		5,668				(345		)		27,236		(691		)
	Residential mortgage-backed	1,401				(25		)		175				(8		)		1,576		(33		)
	Asset-backed	3,321				(10		)		—				—				3,321		(10		)
	Equity securities:
	Preferred stock	14,223				(235		)		—				—				14,223		(235		)
	Common stock:
	United States	47,190				(2,153		)		3,386				(775		)		50,576		(2,928		)
	Canada	2,441				(576		)		1,992				(641		)		4,433		(1,217		)
	Other international	3,443				(138		)		376				(60		)		3,819		(198		)
	Mutual funds:
	Equity	16,430				(337		)		12,686				(1,966		)		29,116		(2,303		)
	Fixed income	145,845				(4,984		)		38,922				(14,593		)		184,767		(19,577		)
	Private equity	—				—				13,002				(8,726		)		13,002		(8,726		)
	Other	—				—				527				(33		)		527		(33		)
	Total temporarily impaired securities	$	294,500			$	(12,519	)		$	115,423			$	(30,144	)		$	409,923	$	(42,663	)

Preneed_Cemetery_Activities_Ta

Preneed Cemetery Activities (Tables)	9 Months Ended
	Sep. 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 September 30, 2014 are shown in the following tables:
		September 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	$	18,019			$	(2	)		$	—			$	—			$	18,019	$	(2	)
	Canadian government	4,848				(79		)		2,573				(78		)		7,421		(157		)
	Corporate	12,875				(167		)		—				—				12,875		(167		)
	Residential mortgage-backed	—				—				45				(2		)		45		(2		)
	Equity securities:
	Common stock:
	Canada	1,450				(318		)		1,281				(59		)		2,731		(377		)
	Mutual funds:
	Fixed income	103,587				(656		)		—				—				103,587		(656		)
	Private equity	—				—				8,682				(4,050		)		8,682		(4,050		)
	Total temporarily impaired securities	$	140,779			$	(1,222	)		$	12,581			$	(4,189	)		$	153,360	$	(5,411	)
		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	$	44,543			$	(6,040	)		$	24,668			$	(2,836	)		$	69,211	$	(8,876	)
	Canadian government	9,424				(120		)		3,066				(141		)		12,490		(261		)
	Corporate	14,908				(424		)		3,055				(222		)		17,963		(646		)
	Residential mortgage-backed	143				(2		)		—				—				143		(2		)
	Asset-backed	3,215				(13		)		—				—				3,215		(13		)
	Equity securities:
	Preferred stock	5,532				(123		)		—				—				5,532		(123		)
	Common stock:
	United States	45,730				(2,648		)		3,447				(583		)		49,177		(3,231		)
	Canada	1,562				(502		)		1,935				(433		)		3,497		(935		)
	Other international	4,288				(124		)		692				(76		)		4,980		(200		)
	Mutual funds:
	Equity	3,809				(54		)		14,260				(1,650		)		18,069		(1,704		)
	Fixed income	132,945				(5,527		)		63,050				(28,122		)		195,995		(33,649		)
	Private equity	—				—				6,589				(5,153		)		6,589		(5,153		)
	Other	—				—				283				(33		)		283		(33		)
	Total temporarily impaired securities	$	266,099			$	(15,577	)		$	121,045			$	(39,249	)		$	387,144	$	(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.
		September 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	$	494			$	(3	)		$	—			$	—			$	494	$	(3	)
	Canadian government	7,820				(137		)		4,145				(138		)		11,965		(275		)
	Corporate	5,238				(107		)		4,069				(182		)		9,307		(289		)
	Residential mortgage-backed	197				(3		)		240				(9		)		437		(12		)
	Equity securities:
	Preferred stock	1,861				(1		)		—				—				1,861		(1		)
	Common stock:
	United States	32,475				(107		)		—				—				32,475		(107		)
	Canada	1,113				(83		)		1,237				(213		)		2,350		(296		)
	Mutual funds:
	Equity	32,624				(15		)		—				—				32,624		(15		)
	Fixed income	321,197				(110		)		—				—				321,197		(110		)
Private equity	10,428				(462		)		15,886				(9,967		)		26,314		(10,429		)
Other	4,085				(191		)		6,183				(1,621		)		10,268		(1,812		)
Total temporarily impaired securities	$	417,532			$	(1,219	)		$	31,760			$	(12,130	)		$	449,292	$	(13,349	)
	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	$	1,334			$	(14	)		$	—			$	—			$	1,334	$	(14	)
Canadian government	15,777				(214		)		5,131				(245		)		20,908		(459		)
Corporate	22,482				(129		)		3,298				(134		)		25,780		(263		)
Residential mortgage-backed	2,950				(18		)		10				(1		)		2,960		(19		)
Asset-backed	2,826				(10		)		15				(1		)		2,841		(11		)
Equity securities:
Preferred stock	14,602				(245		)		43				(7		)		14,645		(252		)
Common stock:
United States	23,747				(1,561		)		3,234				(526		)		26,981		(2,087		)
Canada	667				(129		)		1,794				(494		)		2,461		(623		)
Other international	1,535				(54		)		521				(113		)		2,056		(167		)
Mutual funds:
Equity	389				(14		)		162				(21		)		551		(35		)
Fixed income	181,104				(2,090		)		28,304				(508		)		209,408		(2,598		)
Private equity	—				—				19,242				(9,002		)		19,242		(9,002		)
Other	—				—				9,739				(84		)		9,739		(84		)
Total temporarily impaired securities	$	267,413			$	(4,478	)		$	71,493			$	(11,136	)		$	338,906	$	(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								Nine Months Ended
		September 30,								September 30,
		2014				2013				2014				2013
		(In thousands)
	Deposits	$	34,018			$	27,407			$	95,421			$	81,019
	Withdrawals	33,669				26,542				96,238				89,881
	Purchases of available-for-sale securities	247,853				98,803				458,176				395,200
	Sales of available-for-sale securities	285,411				73,171				481,258				407,503
	Realized gains from sales of available-for-sale securities	40,635				19,965				86,822				66,284
	Realized losses from sales of available-for-sale securities	(4,439		)		(3,454		)		(10,564		)		(12,509		)
Long-term receivable and investment components	'
	The components of Preneed cemetery receivables, net and trust investments in our unaudited condensed consolidated balance sheet at September 30, 2014 and December 31, 2013 are as follows:
		September 30, 2014				December 31, 2013
		(In thousands)
	Trust investments, at fair value	$	1,478,069			$	1,532,875
	Cash and cash equivalents	127,576				138,459
	Assets associated with businesses held for sale	(28,179		)		(106,815		)
	Insurance-backed fixed income securities	13				4
	Trust investments	1,577,479				1,564,523
	Receivables from customers	856,330				798,365
	Unearned finance charges	(32,277		)		(29,604		)
		2,401,532				2,333,284
	Allowance for cancellation	(64,140		)		(55,922		)
	Preneed cemetery receivables, net and trust investments	$	2,337,392			$	2,277,362
Schedule of Available-for-sale Securities Reconciliation	'
	Our cemetery merchandise and service trust investments are recorded at fair value. The costs and fair values at September 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.
		September 30, 2014
		Fair Value Hierarchy Level		Cost				Unrealized				Unrealized				Fair
								Gains				Losses				Value
								(In thousands)
	Fixed income securities:
	U.S. Treasury	2		$	101,400			$	1,617			$	(2	)		$	103,015
	Canadian government	2		17,719				217				(157		)		17,779
	Corporate	2		41,849				5,010				(167		)		46,692
	Residential mortgage-backed	2		132				3				(2		)		133
	Asset-backed	2		169				13				—				182
	Equity securities:
	Preferred stock	2		9,938				522				—				10,460
	Common stock:
	United States	1		372,178				112,471				—				484,649
	Canada	1		13,207				5,712				(377		)		18,542
	Other international	1		32,440				8,528				—				40,968
	Mutual funds:
	Equity	1		372,803				42,998				—				415,801
	Fixed income	1		301,458				7,195				(656		)		307,997
	Private equity	3		30,240				4,647				(4,050		)		30,837
	Other	3		818				196				—				1,014
	Trust investments			$	1,294,351			$	189,129			$	(5,411	)		$	1,478,069
		31-Dec-13
		Fair Value Hierarchy Level		Cost				Unrealized				Unrealized				Fair
								Gains				Losses				Value
								(In thousands)
	Fixed income securities:
	U.S. Treasury	2		$	112,112			$	1,714			$	(8,876	)		$	104,950
	Canadian government	2		17,073				170				(261		)		16,982
	Corporate	2		48,363				5,262				(646		)		52,979
	Residential mortgage-backed	2		402				2				(2		)		402
	Asset-backed	2		3,299				—				(13		)		3,286
	Equity securities:
	Preferred stock	2		16,458				1,106				(123		)		17,441
	Common stock:
	United States	1		417,335				147,258				(3,231		)		561,362
	Canada	1		15,337				4,063				(935		)		18,465
	Other international	1		43,417				10,079				(200		)		53,296
	Mutual funds:
	Equity	1		321,770				49,428				(1,704		)		369,494
	Fixed income	1		334,542				5,236				(33,649		)		306,129
	Private equity	3		28,625				3,372				(5,153		)		26,844
	Other	3		1,078				200				(33		)		1,245
	Trust investments			$	1,359,811			$	227,890			$	(54,826	)		$	1,532,875
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-Sep-14								30-Sep-13
		Private Equity				Other				Private Equity				Other
		(In thousands)
	Fair value, beginning balance	$	27,557			$	1,078			$	26,627			$	1,258
	Net unrealized gains (losses) included in Accumulated other comprehensive income(1)	1,056				(186		)		2,015				277
	Net realized losses included in Other (expense) income, net(2)	(8		)		(5		)		—				—
	Contributions	5,379				127				21				—
	Distributions and other	(3,147		)		—				(1,248		)		(205		)
	Fair value, ending balance	$	30,837			$	1,014			$	27,415			$	1,330
		Nine Months Ended
		30-Sep-14								30-Sep-13
		Private Equity				Other				Private Equity				Other
		(In thousands)
	Fair value, beginning balance	$	26,844			$	1,245			$	17,687			$	450
	Net unrealized gains (losses) included in Accumulated other comprehensive income(1)	2,666				(149		)		15,245				1,253
	Net realized losses included in Other (expense) income, net(2)	(23		)		(6		)		(13		)		(3		)
	Contributions	6,404				127				2,356				—
	Distributions and other	(5,054		)		(203		)		(7,860		)		(370		)
	Fair value, ending balance	$	30,837			$	1,014			$	27,415			$	1,330
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 September 30, 2014 are estimated as follows:
		Fair Value
		(In thousands)
	Due in one year or less	$	9,700
	Due in one to five years	75,924
	Due in five to ten years	34,330
	Thereafter	47,847
		$	167,801

Cemetery_Perpetual_Care_Trusts1

Cemetery Perpetual Care Trusts (Tables)	9 Months Ended
	Sep. 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 September 30, 2014 are shown in the following tables:
		September 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	$	18,019			$	(2	)		$	—			$	—			$	18,019	$	(2	)
	Canadian government	4,848				(79		)		2,573				(78		)		7,421		(157		)
	Corporate	12,875				(167		)		—				—				12,875		(167		)
	Residential mortgage-backed	—				—				45				(2		)		45		(2		)
	Equity securities:
	Common stock:
	Canada	1,450				(318		)		1,281				(59		)		2,731		(377		)
	Mutual funds:
	Fixed income	103,587				(656		)		—				—				103,587		(656		)
	Private equity	—				—				8,682				(4,050		)		8,682		(4,050		)
	Total temporarily impaired securities	$	140,779			$	(1,222	)		$	12,581			$	(4,189	)		$	153,360	$	(5,411	)
		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	$	44,543			$	(6,040	)		$	24,668			$	(2,836	)		$	69,211	$	(8,876	)
	Canadian government	9,424				(120		)		3,066				(141		)		12,490		(261		)
	Corporate	14,908				(424		)		3,055				(222		)		17,963		(646		)
	Residential mortgage-backed	143				(2		)		—				—				143		(2		)
	Asset-backed	3,215				(13		)		—				—				3,215		(13		)
	Equity securities:
	Preferred stock	5,532				(123		)		—				—				5,532		(123		)
	Common stock:
	United States	45,730				(2,648		)		3,447				(583		)		49,177		(3,231		)
	Canada	1,562				(502		)		1,935				(433		)		3,497		(935		)
	Other international	4,288				(124		)		692				(76		)		4,980		(200		)
	Mutual funds:
	Equity	3,809				(54		)		14,260				(1,650		)		18,069		(1,704		)
	Fixed income	132,945				(5,527		)		63,050				(28,122		)		195,995		(33,649		)
	Private equity	—				—				6,589				(5,153		)		6,589		(5,153		)
	Other	—				—				283				(33		)		283		(33		)
	Total temporarily impaired securities	$	266,099			$	(15,577	)		$	121,045			$	(39,249	)		$	387,144	$	(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.
		September 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	$	494			$	(3	)		$	—			$	—			$	494	$	(3	)
	Canadian government	7,820				(137		)		4,145				(138		)		11,965		(275		)
	Corporate	5,238				(107		)		4,069				(182		)		9,307		(289		)
	Residential mortgage-backed	197				(3		)		240				(9		)		437		(12		)
	Equity securities:
	Preferred stock	1,861				(1		)		—				—				1,861		(1		)
	Common stock:
	United States	32,475				(107		)		—				—				32,475		(107		)
	Canada	1,113				(83		)		1,237				(213		)		2,350		(296		)
	Mutual funds:
	Equity	32,624				(15		)		—				—				32,624		(15		)
	Fixed income	321,197				(110		)		—				—				321,197		(110		)
Private equity	10,428				(462		)		15,886				(9,967		)		26,314		(10,429		)
Other	4,085				(191		)		6,183				(1,621		)		10,268		(1,812		)
Total temporarily impaired securities	$	417,532			$	(1,219	)		$	31,760			$	(12,130	)		$	449,292	$	(13,349	)
	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	$	1,334			$	(14	)		$	—			$	—			$	1,334	$	(14	)
Canadian government	15,777				(214		)		5,131				(245		)		20,908		(459		)
Corporate	22,482				(129		)		3,298				(134		)		25,780		(263		)
Residential mortgage-backed	2,950				(18		)		10				(1		)		2,960		(19		)
Asset-backed	2,826				(10		)		15				(1		)		2,841		(11		)
Equity securities:
Preferred stock	14,602				(245		)		43				(7		)		14,645		(252		)
Common stock:
United States	23,747				(1,561		)		3,234				(526		)		26,981		(2,087		)
Canada	667				(129		)		1,794				(494		)		2,461		(623		)
Other international	1,535				(54		)		521				(113		)		2,056		(167		)
Mutual funds:
Equity	389				(14		)		162				(21		)		551		(35		)
Fixed income	181,104				(2,090		)		28,304				(508		)		209,408		(2,598		)
Private equity	—				—				19,242				(9,002		)		19,242		(9,002		)
Other	—				—				9,739				(84		)		9,739		(84		)
Total temporarily impaired securities	$	267,413			$	(4,478	)		$	71,493			$	(11,136	)		$	338,906	$	(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								Nine Months Ended
		September 30,								September 30,
		2014				2013				2014				2013
		(In thousands)
	Deposits	$	9,202			$	6,139			$	29,439			$	19,789
	Withdrawals	8,680				9,388				23,879				26,009
	Purchases of available-for-sale securities	169,973				23,050				233,795				113,497
	Sales of available-for-sale securities	172,646				25,805				251,719				82,556
	Realized gains from sales of available-for-sale securities	7,034				4,871				21,903				13,772
	Realized losses from sales of available-for-sale securities	(935		)		(966		)		(1,599		)		(1,728		)
Long-term receivable and investment components	'
	The components of Cemetery perpetual care trust investments in our unaudited condensed consolidated balance sheet at September 30, 2014 and December 31, 2013 are as follows:
		September 30, 2014				December 31, 2013
		(In thousands)
	Trust investments, at fair value	$	1,301,272			$	1,348,059
	Cash and cash equivalents	102,421				78,509
	Assets associated with businesses held for sale	(22,144		)		(86,726		)
	Cemetery perpetual care trust investments	$	1,381,549			$	1,339,842
Schedule of Available-for-sale Securities Reconciliation	'
		30-Sep-14
		Fair Value Hierarchy Level		Cost				Unrealized				Unrealized				Fair
								Gains				Losses				Value
								(In thousands)
	Fixed income securities:
	U.S. Treasury	2		$	806			$	24			$	(3	)		$	827
	Canadian government	2		28,385				380				(275		)		28,490
	Corporate	2		19,656				406				(289		)		19,773
	Residential mortgage-backed	2		1,057				15				(12		)		1,060
	Asset-backed	2		823				17				—				840
	Equity securities:
	Preferred stock	2		6,763				237				(1		)		6,999
	Common stock:
	United States	1		178,667				51,080				(107		)		229,640
	Canada	1		7,698				3,203				(296		)		10,605
	Other international	1		6,131				1,545				—				7,676
	Mutual funds:
	Equity	1		55,475				6,406				(15		)		61,866
	Fixed income	1		853,113				41,722				(110		)		894,725
	Private equity	3		36,778				433				(10,429		)		26,782
	Other	3		12,357				1,444				(1,812		)		11,989
	Cemetery perpetual care trust investments			$	1,207,709			$	106,912			$	(13,349	)		$	1,301,272
		31-Dec-13
		Fair Value Hierarchy Level		Cost				Unrealized				Unrealized				Fair
								Gains				Losses				Value
								(In thousands)
	Fixed income securities:
	U.S. Treasury	2		$	1,583			$	9			$	(14	)		$	1,578
	Canadian government	2		28,487				301				(459		)		28,329
	Corporate	2		43,107				311				(263		)		43,155
	Residential mortgage-backed	2		4,242				14				(19		)		4,237
	Asset-backed	2		2,996				4				(11		)		2,989
	Equity securities:
	Preferred stock	2		25,860				192				(252		)		25,800
	Common stock:
	United States	1		230,174				53,782				(2,087		)		281,869
	Canada	1		8,843				2,222				(623		)		10,442
	Other international	1		20,598				1,320				(167		)		21,751
	Mutual funds:
	Equity	1		41,114				5,693				(35		)		46,772
	Fixed income	1		816,405				35,964				(2,598		)		849,771
	Private equity	3		28,309				472				(9,002		)		19,779
	Other	3		10,518				1,153				(84		)		11,587
	Cemetery perpetual care trust investments			$	1,262,236			$	101,437			$	(15,614	)		$	1,348,059
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-Sep-14								30-Sep-13
		Private Equity				Other				Private Equity				Other
		(In thousands)
	Fair value, beginning balance	$	21,274			$	11,983			$	18,649			$	10,815
	Net unrealized (losses) gains included in Accumulated other comprehensive income(1)	(206		)		23				1,315				492
	Net realized losses included in Other (expense) income, net(2)	(13		)		(17		)		(5		)		(3		)
	Contributions	9,058				—				—				—
	Distributions and other	(3,331		)		—				(122		)		(139		)
	Fair value, ending balance	$	26,782			$	11,989			$	19,837			$	11,165
		Nine Months Ended
		30-Sep-14								30-Sep-13
		Private Equity				Other				Private Equity				Other
		(In thousands)
	Fair market value, beginning balance	$	19,779			$	11,587			$	11,122			$	7,659
	Net unrealized gains included in Accumulated other comprehensive income(1)	1,091				704				7,404				3,926
	Net realized losses included in Other (expense) income, net(2)	(37		)		(29		)		(100		)		(56		)
	Sales	(17		)		—				—				—
	Contributions	10,461				—				2,317				—
	Distributions and other	(4,495		)		(273		)		(906		)		(364		)
	Fair market value, ending balance	$	26,782			$	11,989			$	19,837			$	11,165
Investments Classified by Contractual Maturity Date	'
	Maturity dates of our fixed income securities range from 2014 to 2043. Maturities of fixed income securities at September 30, 2014 are estimated as follows:
		Fair Value
		(In thousands)
	Due in one year or less	$	14,290
	Due in one to five years	26,786
	Due in five to ten years	9,086
	Thereafter	828
		$	50,990

Deferred_Preneed_Funeral_and_C1

Deferred Preneed Funeral and Cemetery Receipts Held in Trust and Care Trusts' Corpus (Tables)	9 Months Ended
	Sep. 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 September 30, 2014 and December 31, 2013 are detailed below.
		September 30, 2014									December 31, 2013
		Preneed			Preneed			Total			Preneed			Preneed			Total
		Funeral			Cemetery						Funeral			Cemetery
		(In thousands)
	Trust investments	$	1,664,248		$	1,577,479		$	3,241,727		$	1,683,988		$	1,564,523		$	3,248,511
	Accrued trust operating payables and other	(3,545		)	(4,108		)	(7,653		)	(1,108		)	(1,698		)	(2,806		)
	Deferred preneed funeral and cemetery receipts held in trust	$	1,660,703		$	1,573,371		$	3,234,074		$	1,682,880		$	1,562,825		$	3,245,705
Schedule of Care Trust Corpus' Components	'
	The components of Care trusts’ corpus in our unaudited condensed consolidated balance sheet at September 30, 2014 and December 31, 2013 are detailed below.
		September 30, 2014			December 31, 2013
		(In thousands)
	Cemetery perpetual care trust investments	$	1,381,549		$	1,339,842
	Accrued trust operating payables and other	(1,453		)	(1,661		)
	Care trusts’ corpus	$	1,380,096		$	1,338,181
Schedule of Other Nonoperating Income, by Component	'
	The components of Other (expense) income, net in our unaudited condensed consolidated statement of operations for the three and nine months ended September 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 September 30, 2014
		Funeral			Cemetery			Cemetery Perpetual			Other, Net			Total
		Trusts			Trusts			Care Trusts
					(In thousands)
	Realized gains	$	18,935		$	40,635		$	7,034		$	—		$	66,604
	Realized losses	(2,094		)	(4,439		)	(935		)	—			(7,468		)
	Impairment charges	(41,244		)	(59,311		)	(8,025		)	—			(108,580		)
	Interest, dividend, and other ordinary income	1,849			2,681			5,494			—			10,024
	Trust expenses and income taxes	(6,748		)	(6,541		)	(631		)	—			(13,920		)
	Net trust investment income	(29,302		)	(26,975		)	2,937			—			(53,340		)
	Reclassification to deferred preneed funeral and cemetery receipts held in trust and care trusts’ corpus	29,302			26,975			(2,937		)	—			53,340
	Other (expense) income, net	—			—			—			(9		)	(9		)
	Total other (expense) income, net	$	—		$	—		$	—		$	(9	)	$	(9	)
		Nine Months Ended September 30, 2014
		Funeral			Cemetery			Cemetery Perpetual			Other, Net			Total
		Trusts			Trusts			Care Trusts
					(In thousands)
	Realized gains	$	50,947		$	86,822		$	21,903		$	—		$	159,672
	Realized losses	(6,233		)	(10,564		)	(1,599		)	—			(18,396		)
	Impairment charges	(41,614		)	(59,829		)	(8,072		)	—			(109,515		)
	Interest, dividend, and other ordinary income	15,323			10,157			27,465			—			52,945
	Trust expenses and income taxes	(16,193		)	(15,733		)	(4,305		)	—			(36,231		)
	Net trust investment income	2,230			10,853			35,392			—			48,475
	Reclassification to deferred preneed funeral and cemetery receipts held in trust and care trusts’ corpus	(2,230		)	(10,853		)	(35,392		)	—			(48,475		)
	Other (expense) income, net	—			—			—			1,577			1,577
	Total other (expense) income, net	$	—		$	—		$	—		$	1,577		$	1,577
		Three Months Ended September 30, 2013
		Funeral			Cemetery			Cemetery Perpetual			Other, Net			Total
		Trusts			Trusts			Care Trusts
					(In thousands)
	Realized gains	$	12,953		$	19,965		$	4,871		$	—		$	37,789
	Realized losses	(2,212		)	(3,454		)	(966		)	—			(6,632		)
	Impairment charges	(157		)	(218		)	—			—			(375		)
	Interest, dividend, and other ordinary income	2,470			3,171			5,372			—			11,013
	Trust expenses and income taxes	(2,705		)	(3,512		)	(273		)	—			(6,490		)
	Net trust investment income	10,349			15,952			9,004			—			35,305
	Reclassification to deferred preneed funeral and cemetery receipts held in trust and care trusts’ corpus	(10,349		)	(15,952		)	(9,004		)	—			(35,305		)
	Other (expense) income, net	—			—			—			667			667
	Total other (expense) income, net	$	—		$	—		$	—		$	667		$	667
		Nine Months Ended September 30, 2013
		Funeral			Cemetery			Cemetery Perpetual			Other, Net			Total
		Trusts			Trusts			Care Trusts
					(In thousands)
	Realized gains	$	41,654		$	66,284		$	13,772		$	—		$	121,710
	Realized losses	(8,378		)	(12,509		)	(1,728		)	—			(22,615		)
	Impairment charges	(803		)	(1,515		)	(189		)	—			(2,507		)
	Interest, dividend, and other ordinary income	18,493			13,615			19,245			—			51,353
	Trust expenses and income taxes	(7,743		)	(10,268		)	(1,857		)	—			(19,868		)
	Net trust investment income	43,223			55,607			29,243			—			128,073
	Reclassification to deferred preneed funeral and cemetery receipts held in trust and care trusts’ corpus	(43,223		)	(55,607		)	(29,243		)	—			(128,073		)
	Other (expense) income, net	—			—			—			(1,013		)	(1,013		)
	Total other (expense) income, net	$	—		$	—		$	—		$	(1,013	)	$	(1,013	)

Debt_Tables

Debt (Tables)	9 Months Ended
	Sep. 30, 2014
Debt [Abstract]	'
Schedule of Debt	'
	Debt as of September 30, 2014 and December 31, 2013 was as follows:
		September 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	377,500			600,000
	Bank credit facility due July 2018	235,000			30,000
	Obligations under capital leases	186,596			189,697
	Mortgage notes and other debt, maturities through 2050	4,221			4,752
	Unamortized (discounts) premiums and other, net	(3,062		)	42,084
	Total debt	3,067,766			3,301,910
	Less:
	Current maturities of debt, capital lease obligations, and mortgage notes	(109,907		)	(153,738		)
	Current maturities of unamortized discounts (premiums) and other, net	641			(22,624		)
	Total current maturities	(109,266		)	(176,362		)
	Total long-term debt	$	2,958,500		$	3,125,548

Credit_Risk_and_Fair_Value_of_1

Credit Risk and Fair Value of Financial Instruments (Tables)	9 Months Ended
	Sep. 30, 2014
Credit Risk and Fair Value of Financial Instruments [Abstract]	'
Fair Value, Measurement Inputs, Disclosure	'
	The fair value of our debt instruments at September 30, 2014 and December 31, 2013 was as follows:
		September 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	209,466		214,904
	3.375% Senior Convertible Notes due July 2016	160		60,487
	7.0% Senior Notes due June 2017	321,550		333,259
	7.625% Senior Notes due October 2018	283,125		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	201,250		192,610
	8.0% Senior Notes due November 2021	172,913		173,625
	5.375% Senior Notes due January 2022	427,210		431,588
	5.375% Senior Notes due May 2024	551,485		—
	7.5% Senior Notes due April 2027	220,750		215,750
	Term Loan due July 2018	377,500		600,000
	Bank credit facility due July 2018	235,000		30,000
	Mortgage notes and other debt, maturities through 2050	4,221		4,752
	Total fair value of debt instruments	$	3,004,630	$	3,277,442

ShareBased_Compensation_Tables

Share-Based Compensation (Tables)	9 Months Ended
	Sep. 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 nine months ended September 30, 2014:
			Nine Months Ended
	Assumptions		September 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 nine months ended September 30, 2014:
		Options			Weighted-Average
					Exercise Price
	Outstanding at December 31, 2013	13,319,750			$	9.84
	Granted	2,495,850			$	17.41
	Exercised	(2,865,060	)		$	9.85
	Canceled	(26,034	)		$	15.77
	Outstanding at September 30, 2014	12,924,506			$	11.29
	Exercisable at September 30, 2014	8,464,756			$	8.88
Schedule of Share-based Compensation, Restricted Stock Units Award Activity	'
	Restricted share activity for the nine months ended September 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	351,860			$	17.6
	Vested	(187,549	)		$	11.44
	Nonvested restricted shares at September 30, 2014	1,347,540			$	13.35

Equity_Tables

Equity (Tables)	9 Months Ended
	Sep. 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	(13,732		)	—			(13,732		)
	Reclassification of foreign currency translation adjustments to Net income from discontinued operations	3,114			—			3,114
	Increase in unrealized gains associated with available-for-sale securities of the trusts, net of taxes	—			11,672			11,672
	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	—			(11,672		)	(11,672		)
	Balance at September 30, 2014	$	77,823		$	—		$	77,823
	Balance at December 31, 2012	$	111,717		$	—		$	111,717
	Activity in 2013	(9,768		)	—			(9,768		)
	Increase in net unrealized gains associated with available-for-sale securities of the trusts, net of taxes	—			67,271			67,271
	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	—			(67,271		)	(67,271		)
	Balance at September 30, 2013	$	101,949		$	—		$	101,949

Segment_Reporting_Tables

Segment Reporting (Tables)	9 Months Ended
	Sep. 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 September 30,
	Revenues from external customers:
	2014	$	458,941		$	259,373		$	718,314
	2013	$	398,220		$	210,369		$	608,589
	Gross profits:
	2014	$	88,122		$	60,176		$	148,298
	2013	$	66,812		$	48,993		$	115,805
	Nine Months Ended September 30,
	Revenues from external customers:
	2014	$	1,447,526		$	763,043		$	2,210,569
	2013	$	1,272,850		$	610,388		$	1,883,238
	Gross profits:
	2014	$	305,277		$	165,125		$	470,402
	2013	$	266,872		$	134,243		$	401,115
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						Nine Months Ended
		September 30,						September 30,
		2014			2013			2014			2013
		(In thousands)
	Gross profits from reportable segments	$	148,298		$	115,805		$	470,402		$	401,115
	General and administrative expenses	(39,748		)	(33,740		)	(141,885		)	(96,042		)
	Gains (losses) on divestitures and impairment charges, net	26,570			981			58,752			(5,533		)
	Operating income	135,120			83,046			387,269			299,540
	Interest expense	(43,376		)	(38,080		)	(134,679		)	(103,589		)
	(Losses) gains on early extinguishment of debt	—			—			(29,158		)	468
	Other expense (income), net	(9		)	667			1,577			(1,013		)
	Income before income taxes	$	91,735		$	45,633		$	225,009		$	195,406
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 September 30,
	Revenues from external customers:
	2014	$	671,949		$	46,365		$	718,314
	2013	$	552,128		$	56,461		$	608,589
	Nine Months Ended September 30,
	Revenues from external customers:
	2014	$	2,062,231		$	148,338		$	2,210,569
	2013	$	1,717,909		$	165,329		$	1,883,238

Supplementary_Information_Tabl

Supplementary Information (Tables)	9 Months Ended
	Sep. 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				Nine Months Ended
		September 30,				September 30,
		2014		2013		2014		2013
		(In thousands)
	Property and merchandise revenues:
	Funeral	$	146,786	$	137,507	$	467,170	$	440,071
	Cemetery	183,139		153,770		527,501		433,249
	Total property and merchandise revenues	329,925		291,277		994,671		873,320
	Services revenues:
	Funeral	276,916		230,658		878,154		745,344
	Cemetery	65,229		49,920		207,861		157,705
	Total services revenues	342,145		280,578		1,086,015		903,049
	Other revenues	46,244		36,734		129,883		106,869
	Total revenues	$	718,314	$	608,589	$	2,210,569	$	1,883,238
	Property and merchandise costs and expenses:
	Funeral	$	68,943	$	62,604	$	224,192	$	203,423
	Cemetery	78,690		62,429		234,338		183,500
	Total cost of property and merchandise	147,633		125,033		458,530		386,923
	Services costs and expenses:
	Funeral	157,846		137,661		479,586		411,958
	Cemetery	34,398		24,318		110,459		76,869
	Total cost of services	192,244		161,979		590,045		488,827
	Overhead and other expense	230,139		205,772		691,592		606,373
	Total costs and expenses	$	570,016	$	492,784	$	1,740,167	$	1,482,123

Earnings_Per_Share_Tables

Earnings Per Share (Tables)	9 Months Ended
	Sep. 30, 2014
Earnings Per Share [Abstract]	'
Schedule of Earnings Per Share, Basic and Diluted	'
	A reconciliation of the numerators and denominators of the basic and diluted EPS computations is presented below:
		Three Months Ended					Nine Months Ended
		September 30,					September 30,
		2014			2013		2014		2013
		(In thousands, except per
		share amounts)
	Amounts attributable to common stockholders:
	Net income:
	Net income — basic	$	17,651		$	26,779	$	84,675	$	118,015
	After tax interest on convertible debt	—			13		38		38
	Net income — diluted	$	17,651		$	26,792	$	84,713	$	118,053
	Weighted average shares (denominator):
	Weighted average shares — basic	210,820			211,954		212,009		211,721
	Stock options	2,190			4,295		3,235		4,035
	Convertible debt	—			121		121		121
	Weighted average shares — diluted	213,010			216,370		215,365		215,877
	Net income per share:
	Basic	$	0.08		$	0.13	$	0.4	$	0.56
	Diluted	$	0.08		$	0.12	$	0.39	$	0.55
Antidilutive Securities Excluded from Computation of Earnings Per Share [Line Items]	'
Schedule of Antidilutive Securities Excluded from Computation of Earnings Per Share [Table Text Block]	'
	Total options and convertible debentures not included in the computation of dilutive EPS are as follows (in shares):
		Three Months Ended				Nine Months Ended
		September 30,				September 30,
		2014		2013		2014	2013
		(In thousands)
	Antidilutive options	21		1,376		1,431	1,742
	Antidilutive convertible debentures	121		—		—	—
	Total Common stock equivalents excluded from computation	142		1,376		1,431	1,742

Acquisition_Tables

Acquisition (Tables)	9 Months Ended
	Sep. 30, 2014						Sep. 30, 2013
Acquisition, textuals [Abstract]	'						'
Schedule of Recognized Identified Assets Acquired and Liabilities Assumed	'						'
	The following table summarizes the adjusted fair values of the assets acquired and liabilities assumed as of December 23, 2013:
		(In thousands)
	Accounts receivable	$	11,892
	Other current assets	186,871
	Cemetery property	303,775
	Property and equipment, net	340,697
	Preneed funeral and cemetery receivables and trust investments	648,482
	Finite-lived intangible assets	71,938
	Indefinite-lived intangible assets	79,400
	Acquired assets held for sale	524,293
	Deferred charges and other assets	265,098
	Goodwill	545,843
	Total assets acquired	2,978,289
	Current liabilities	218,920
	Long-term debt	270,668
	Deferred preneed funeral and cemetery revenues and deferred receipts held in trusts	734,765
	Assumed liabilities held for sale	243,955
	Deferred income taxes	56,946
	Other liabilities	287,562
	Total liabilities assumed	1,812,816
	Noncontrolling interest	118
	Net assets acquired	$	1,165,355
Adjustments to Fair Value	'						'
	During the nine months 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	$	(13,774	)
	Increase in the fair value of cemetery property	19,000
	Decrease in the fair value of preneed funeral and cemetery receivables and trust investments	(6,528		)
	Decrease in the fair value of finite-lived intangible assets	(34,340		)
	Increase in the fair value of acquired assets held for sale	90,045
	Decrease in the fair value of deferred charges and other assets	(13,222		)
	Decrease in the fair value of deferred preneed funeral and cemetery revenues and deferred receipts held in trust	48,093
	Change in the fair value of acquired assets and liabilities held for sale	(90,318		)
	Decrease in the fair value of deferred income taxes	43,223
	Other	(9,444		)
	Total adjustment to goodwill	$	32,735
Schedule of Finite and Indefinte-lived Intangible Assets Acquired as Part of a Business Combination	'						'
	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	16,764
	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				$	151,338
Business Acquisition, Pro Forma Information	'						'
							For the three and nine months ended September 30, 2013, the following unaudited pro forma information presents information as if the merger occurred on January 1, 2013:
								Three Months Ended		Nine Months Ended
								30-Sep-13		30-Sep-13
								(In thousands)
							Revenue	$	697,723	$	2,166,050
							Net income	$	25,691	$	126,241

DivestitureRelated_Activities_1

Divestiture-Related Activities (Tables)	9 Months Ended
	Sep. 30, 2014
Divestiture-Related Activities [Abstract]	'
Gains (Losses) on Divestitures and Impairment Charges	'
	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 nine months ended September 30:
		Three Months Ended						Nine Months Ended
		September 30,						September 30,
		2014			2013			2014			2013
		(In thousands)
	Gains (losses) on divestitures, net	$	26,889		$	981		$	64,753		$	(3,619	)
	Impairment losses	(319		)	—			(6,001		)	$	(1,914	)
		$	26,570		$	981		$	58,752		$	(5,533	)
Held for Sale, Net Assets	'
	Net assets held for sale at September 30, 2014 and December 31, 2013 were as follows:
		September 30,			December 31,
		2014			2013
		(In thousands)
	Current assets	$	436		$	4,569
	Preneed funeral and cemetery receivables and trust investments	84,484			346,241
	Cemetery property	9,158			88,131
	Property and equipment, net	10,013			67,394
	Goodwill	10,899			206,117
	Deferred charges and other assets	200			32,989
	Cemetery perpetual care trust investments	22,143			86,726
	Total assets	$	137,333		$	832,167
	Accounts payable and accrued liabilities	441			3,183
	Deferred preneed funeral and cemetery revenues and deferred receipts held in trusts	119,120			427,436
	Care trusts' corpus	22,143			86,726
	Other long term liabilities	227			4,209
	Total liabilities	141,931			521,554
	Net assets held for sale	$	(4,598	)	$	310,613
Schedule of Disposal Groups, Including Discontinued Operations, Income Statement, Balance Sheet and Additional Disclosures	'
	Assets of discontinued operations at December 31, 2013 were as follows:
		December 31,
		2013
	Current assets	$	4,750
	Property and equipment, net	116
	Deferred charges and other assets	2,375
	Total assets	$	7,241
	Accounts payable and accrued liabilities	4,728
	Deferred preneed funeral revenues	938
	Other long term liabilities	30
	Total liabilities	5,696
	Net assets of discontinued operations	$	1,545
Schedule of Income from Discontinued Operations [Table Text Block]	'
	The results of our discontinued operations for the three and nine months ended September 30, 2014 and 2013 were as follows:
		Three Months Ended						Nine Months Ended
		September 30,						September 30,
		2014			2013			2014			2013
		(In thousands)
	Revenues	$	—		$	1,361		$	1,614		$	4,569
	Costs and expenses	—			(1,111		)	(1,560		)	(3,934		)
	Gain on disposition	884			—			884			—
	Other expense, net	—			(1		)	(2		)	(4		)
	Income from discontinued operations before income taxes	884			249			936			631
	Provision for income taxes	—			(81		)	(90		)	(190		)
	Net income from discontinued operations	$	884		$	168		$	846		$	441

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		9 Months Ended		12 Months Ended
In Thousands, unless otherwise specified	Sep. 30, 2014	Sep. 30, 2013	Sep. 30, 2014	Sep. 30, 2013	Dec. 31, 2013
Investment related activities [Line Items]	'	'	'	'	'
Realized gains from sales of available-for-sale securities	$66,604	$37,789	$159,672	$121,710	'
Realized losses from sales of available-for-sale securities	-7,468	-6,632	-18,396	-22,615	'
Funeral	'	'	'	'	'
Investment related activities [Line Items]	'	'	'	'	'
Available-for-sale Securities, Continuous Unrealized Loss Position, Less than Twelve Months, Fair Value	376,048	'	376,048	'	294,500
Available-for-sale Securities, Continuous Unrealized Loss Position, Less than 12 Months, Aggregate Loss	'	'	2,355	'	12,519
Available-for-sale Securities, Continuous Unrealized Loss Position, Twelve Months or Longer, Fair Value	36,568	'	36,568	'	115,423
Available-for-sale Securities, Continuous Unrealized Loss Position, 12 Months or Longer, Aggregate Losses	'	'	-8,022	'	-30,144
Available-for-sale Securities, Continuous Unrealized Loss Position, Fair Value	412,616	'	412,616	'	409,923
Available-for-sale Securities, Continuous Unrealized Loss Position, Aggregate Losses	'	'	-10,377	'	-42,663
Deposits	23,618	20,187	76,490	63,802	'
Withdrawals	27,718	24,242	103,410	92,491	'
Purchases of available-for-sale securities	238,860	125,113	379,650	302,939	'
Sales of available-for-sale securities	274,630	91,064	445,880	337,714	'
Realized gains from sales of available-for-sale securities	18,935	12,953	50,947	41,654	'
Realized losses from sales of available-for-sale securities	-2,094	-2,212	-6,233	-8,378	'
Other Investments | Funeral	'	'	'	'	'
Investment related activities [Line Items]	'	'	'	'	'
Available-for-sale Securities, Continuous Unrealized Loss Position, Less than Twelve Months, Fair Value	714	'	714	'	0
Available-for-sale Securities, Continuous Unrealized Loss Position, Less than 12 Months, Aggregate Loss	'	'	-22	'	0
Available-for-sale Securities, Continuous Unrealized Loss Position, Twelve Months or Longer, Fair Value	0	'	0	'	527
Available-for-sale Securities, Continuous Unrealized Loss Position, 12 Months or Longer, Aggregate Losses	'	'	0	'	-33
Available-for-sale Securities, Continuous Unrealized Loss Position, Fair Value	714	'	714	'	527
Available-for-sale Securities, Continuous Unrealized Loss Position, Aggregate Losses	'	'	($22)	'	($33)

Preneed_Funeral_Activities_Lon

Preneed Funeral Activities Long-term Receivable and Investment (Details) (USD $)	Sep. 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	$0	$4,750
Preneed funeral receivables and trust investments	1,876,272	1,888,271
Funeral	'	'
Long-term receivable and investment components [Line Items]	'	'
Trust investments, at market	1,262,940	1,442,418
Cash and cash equivalents	172,372	128,216
Assets of Disposal Group, Including Discontinued Operation, Current	-34,755	-167,615
Insurance-backed fixed income securities	263,691	280,969
Trust investments	1,664,248	1,683,988
Receivables from customers	263,685	259,801
Unearned finance charges	-10,675	-10,179
Preneed funeral receivables, net and trust investments, excluding allowance for cancellation	1,917,258	1,933,610
Allowance for cancellation	-40,986	-45,339
Preneed funeral receivables and trust investments	$1,876,272	$1,888,271

Preneed_Funeral_Activities_Sch

Preneed Funeral Activities Schedule of Available-for-sale Securities (Details) (Funeral, USD $)	9 Months Ended	12 Months Ended
In Thousands, unless otherwise specified	Sep. 30, 2014	Dec. 31, 2013
Schedule of Available-for-sale Securities [Line Items]	'	'
Available-for-sale Securities, Amortized Cost Basis	$1,172,606	$1,363,363
Available-for-sale Securities, Gross Unrealized Gains	100,711	121,718
Available-for-sale Securities, Gross Unrealized Losses	-10,377	-42,663
Available-for-sale Securities, Fair Value	1,262,940	1,442,418
Fair Value, Inputs, Level 2 | US Treasury Securities	'	'
Schedule of Available-for-sale Securities [Line Items]	'	'
Available-for-sale Securities, Amortized Cost Basis	104,517	112,173
Available-for-sale Securities, Gross Unrealized Gains	1,365	1,299
Available-for-sale Securities, Gross Unrealized Losses	-53	-5,599
Available-for-sale Securities, Fair Value	105,829	107,873
Fair Value, Inputs, Level 2 | Foreign Government Debt Securities	'	'
Schedule of Available-for-sale Securities [Line Items]	'	'
Available-for-sale Securities, Amortized Cost Basis	94,889	100,263
Available-for-sale Securities, Gross Unrealized Gains	321	81
Available-for-sale Securities, Gross Unrealized Losses	-922	-1,113
Available-for-sale Securities, Fair Value	94,288	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	42,598	64,721
Available-for-sale Securities, Gross Unrealized Gains	3,001	3,515
Available-for-sale Securities, Gross Unrealized Losses	-126	-691
Available-for-sale Securities, Fair Value	45,473	67,545
Fair Value, Inputs, Level 2 | Residential Mortgage Backed Securities	'	'
Schedule of Available-for-sale Securities [Line Items]	'	'
Available-for-sale Securities, Amortized Cost Basis	1,496	2,446
Available-for-sale Securities, Gross Unrealized Gains	25	23
Available-for-sale Securities, Gross Unrealized Losses	-21	-33
Available-for-sale Securities, Fair Value	1,500	2,436
Fair Value, Inputs, Level 2 | Asset-backed Securities	'	'
Schedule of Available-for-sale Securities [Line Items]	'	'
Available-for-sale Securities, Amortized Cost Basis	133	3,419
Available-for-sale Securities, Gross Unrealized Gains	2	0
Available-for-sale Securities, Gross Unrealized Losses	0	-10
Available-for-sale Securities, Fair Value	135	3,409
Fair Value, Inputs, Level 2 | Preferred Stock Securities	'	'
Schedule of Available-for-sale Securities [Line Items]	'	'
Available-for-sale Securities, Amortized Cost Basis	8,516	30,586
Available-for-sale Securities, Gross Unrealized Gains	422	755
Available-for-sale Securities, Gross Unrealized Losses	0	-235
Available-for-sale Securities, Fair Value	8,938	31,106
Fair Value, Inputs, Level 1 | US Common Stock Securities	'	'
Schedule of Available-for-sale Securities [Line Items]	'	'
Available-for-sale Securities, Amortized Cost Basis	252,015	371,560
Available-for-sale Securities, Gross Unrealized Gains	57,523	77,962
Available-for-sale Securities, Gross Unrealized Losses	-126	-2,928
Available-for-sale Securities, Fair Value	309,412	446,594
Fair Value, Inputs, Level 1 | Canada Common Stock Securities	'	'
Schedule of Available-for-sale Securities [Line Items]	'	'
Available-for-sale Securities, Amortized Cost Basis	16,510	27,730
Available-for-sale Securities, Gross Unrealized Gains	5,014	4,346
Available-for-sale Securities, Gross Unrealized Losses	-282	-1,217
Available-for-sale Securities, Fair Value	21,242	30,859
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	21,202	36,149
Available-for-sale Securities, Gross Unrealized Gains	4,130	4,986
Available-for-sale Securities, Gross Unrealized Losses	-2	-198
Available-for-sale Securities, Fair Value	25,330	40,937
Fair Value, Inputs, Level 1 | Equity Funds	'	'
Schedule of Available-for-sale Securities [Line Items]	'	'
Available-for-sale Securities, Amortized Cost Basis	332,092	261,598
Available-for-sale Securities, Gross Unrealized Gains	20,198	22,530
Available-for-sale Securities, Gross Unrealized Losses	-586	-2,303
Available-for-sale Securities, Fair Value	351,704	281,825
Fair Value, Inputs, Level 1 | Fixed Income Funds	'	'
Schedule of Available-for-sale Securities [Line Items]	'	'
Available-for-sale Securities, Amortized Cost Basis	259,964	318,257
Available-for-sale Securities, Gross Unrealized Gains	4,651	3,228
Available-for-sale Securities, Gross Unrealized Losses	-1,125	-19,577
Available-for-sale Securities, Fair Value	263,490	301,908
Fair Value, Inputs, Level 3 | Private Equity Funds	'	'
Schedule of Available-for-sale Securities [Line Items]	'	'
Available-for-sale Securities, Amortized Cost Basis	33,470	32,909
Available-for-sale Securities, Gross Unrealized Gains	3,577	2,702
Available-for-sale Securities, Gross Unrealized Losses	-7,112	-8,726
Available-for-sale Securities, Fair Value	29,935	26,885
Fair Value, Inputs, Level 3 | Other Investments	'	'
Schedule of Available-for-sale Securities [Line Items]	'	'
Available-for-sale Securities, Amortized Cost Basis	5,204	1,552
Available-for-sale Securities, Gross Unrealized Gains	482	291
Available-for-sale Securities, Gross Unrealized Losses	-22	-33
Available-for-sale Securities, Fair Value	$5,664	$1,810

Preneed_Funeral_Activities_Lev

Preneed Funeral Activities Level 3 Activities (Details) (Funeral, USD $)	3 Months Ended				9 Months Ended
In Thousands, unless otherwise specified	Sep. 30, 2014		Sep. 30, 2013		Sep. 30, 2014		Sep. 30, 2013
Private Equity Funds	'		'		'		'
Fair Value, Assets Measured on Recurring Basis, Unobservable Input Reconciliation, Calculation [Roll Forward]	'		'		'		'
Fair market value, beginning balance	$27,339		$26,333		$26,885		$17,879
Net unrealized (losses) gains included in Accumulated other comprehensive income	265	[1]	1,830	[1]	-1,370	[1]	14,441	[1]
Net realized losses included in Other income, net(2)	-7	[2]	0	[2]	-21	[2]	-11	[2]
Payments to Acquire Other Investments	289		0		3,244		0
Contributions	4,998		19		5,955		2,221
Distributions and other	-2,949		-1,197		-4,758		-7,545
Fair market value, ending balance	29,935		26,985		29,935		26,985
Other Investments	'		'		'		'
Fair Value, Assets Measured on Recurring Basis, Unobservable Input Reconciliation, Calculation [Roll Forward]	'		'		'		'
Fair market value, beginning balance	4,476		1,457		1,810		744
Net unrealized (losses) gains included in Accumulated other comprehensive income	1,071	[1]	256	[1]	3,927	[1]	1,126	[1]
Net realized losses included in Other income, net(2)	-4	[2]	0	[2]	-5	[2]	-2	[2]
Payments to Acquire Other Investments	0		0		0		0
Contributions	121		0		121		0
Distributions and other	0		-194		-189		-349
Fair market value, ending balance	$5,664		$1,519		$5,664		$1,519
[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 (expense) income, net for our funeral merchandise and service trust investments are attributable to our preneed customers and are offset by a corresponding reclassification in Other (expense) income, 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 $)	Sep. 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	$127,847
Available-for-sale Securities, Debt Maturities, after One Through Five Years, Fair Value	52,319
Available-for-sale Securities, Debt Maturities, after Five Through Ten Years, Fair Value	37,248
Available-for-sale Securities, Debt Maturities, after Ten Years, Fair Value	29,811
Available-for-sale Securities, Debt Maturities, Total, Fair Value	$247,225

Preneed_Funeral_Activities_Sch1

Preneed Funeral Activities Schedule of Unrealized Loss on Investments (Details) (Funeral, USD $)	9 Months Ended	12 Months Ended
In Thousands, unless otherwise specified	Sep. 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	$376,048	$294,500
Available-for-sale Securities, Continuous Unrealized Loss Position, Less than 12 Months, Aggregate Losses	-2,355	-12,519
Available-for-sale Securities, Continuous Unrealized Loss Position, Twelve Months or Longer, Fair Value	36,568	115,423
Available-for-sale Securities, Continuous Unrealized Loss Position, 12 Months or Longer, Aggregate Losses	-8,022	-30,144
Available-for-sale Securities, Continuous Unrealized Loss Position, Fair Value	412,616	409,923
Available-for-sale Securities, Continuous Unrealized Loss Position, Aggregate Losses	-10,377	-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	10,030	29,092
Available-for-sale Securities, Continuous Unrealized Loss Position, Less than 12 Months, Aggregate Losses	-53	-3,595
Available-for-sale Securities, Continuous Unrealized Loss Position, Twelve Months or Longer, Fair Value	0	19,708
Available-for-sale Securities, Continuous Unrealized Loss Position, 12 Months or Longer, Aggregate Losses	0	-2,004
Available-for-sale Securities, Continuous Unrealized Loss Position, Fair Value	10,030	48,800
Available-for-sale Securities, Continuous Unrealized Loss Position, Aggregate Losses	-53	-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	4,216	9,546
Available-for-sale Securities, Continuous Unrealized Loss Position, Less than 12 Months, Aggregate Losses	-61	-120
Available-for-sale Securities, Continuous Unrealized Loss Position, Twelve Months or Longer, Fair Value	18,977	18,981
Available-for-sale Securities, Continuous Unrealized Loss Position, 12 Months or Longer, Aggregate Losses	-861	-993
Available-for-sale Securities, Continuous Unrealized Loss Position, Fair Value	23,193	28,527
Available-for-sale Securities, Continuous Unrealized Loss Position, Aggregate Losses	-922	-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	9,001	21,568
Available-for-sale Securities, Continuous Unrealized Loss Position, Less than 12 Months, Aggregate Losses	-126	-346
Available-for-sale Securities, Continuous Unrealized Loss Position, Twelve Months or Longer, Fair Value	0	5,668
Available-for-sale Securities, Continuous Unrealized Loss Position, 12 Months or Longer, Aggregate Losses	0	-345
Available-for-sale Securities, Continuous Unrealized Loss Position, Fair Value	9,001	27,236
Available-for-sale Securities, Continuous Unrealized Loss Position, Aggregate Losses	-126	-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	167	1,401
Available-for-sale Securities, Continuous Unrealized Loss Position, Less than 12 Months, Aggregate Losses	-2	-25
Available-for-sale Securities, Continuous Unrealized Loss Position, Twelve Months or Longer, Fair Value	412	175
Available-for-sale Securities, Continuous Unrealized Loss Position, 12 Months or Longer, Aggregate Losses	-19	-8
Available-for-sale Securities, Continuous Unrealized Loss Position, Fair Value	579	1,576
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	'	3,321
Available-for-sale Securities, Continuous Unrealized Loss Position, Less than 12 Months, Aggregate Losses	'	-10
Available-for-sale Securities, Continuous Unrealized Loss Position, Twelve Months or Longer, Fair Value	'	0
Available-for-sale Securities, Continuous Unrealized Loss Position, 12 Months or Longer, Aggregate Losses	'	0
Available-for-sale Securities, Continuous Unrealized Loss Position, Fair Value	'	3,321
Available-for-sale Securities, Continuous Unrealized Loss Position, Aggregate Losses	'	-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	'	14,223
Available-for-sale Securities, Continuous Unrealized Loss Position, Less than 12 Months, Aggregate Losses	'	-235
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	'	14,223
Available-for-sale Securities, Continuous Unrealized Loss Position, Aggregate Losses	'	-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	88,625	47,190
Available-for-sale Securities, Continuous Unrealized Loss Position, Less than 12 Months, Aggregate Losses	-126	-2,153
Available-for-sale Securities, Continuous Unrealized Loss Position, Twelve Months or Longer, Fair Value	0	3,386
Available-for-sale Securities, Continuous Unrealized Loss Position, 12 Months or Longer, Aggregate Losses	0	-775
Available-for-sale Securities, Continuous Unrealized Loss Position, Fair Value	88,625	50,576
Available-for-sale Securities, Continuous Unrealized Loss Position, Aggregate Losses	-126	-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	1,580	2,441
Available-for-sale Securities, Continuous Unrealized Loss Position, Less than 12 Months, Aggregate Losses	-252	-576
Available-for-sale Securities, Continuous Unrealized Loss Position, Twelve Months or Longer, Fair Value	1,678	1,992
Available-for-sale Securities, Continuous Unrealized Loss Position, 12 Months or Longer, Aggregate Losses	-30	-641
Available-for-sale Securities, Continuous Unrealized Loss Position, Fair Value	3,258	4,433
Available-for-sale Securities, Continuous Unrealized Loss Position, Aggregate Losses	-282	-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	7,964	3,443
Available-for-sale Securities, Continuous Unrealized Loss Position, Less than 12 Months, Aggregate Losses	-2	-138
Available-for-sale Securities, Continuous Unrealized Loss Position, Twelve Months or Longer, Fair Value	0	376
Available-for-sale Securities, Continuous Unrealized Loss Position, 12 Months or Longer, Aggregate Losses	0	-60
Available-for-sale Securities, Continuous Unrealized Loss Position, Fair Value	7,964	3,819
Available-for-sale Securities, Continuous Unrealized Loss Position, Aggregate Losses	-2	-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	151,716	16,430
Available-for-sale Securities, Continuous Unrealized Loss Position, Less than 12 Months, Aggregate Losses	-586	-337
Available-for-sale Securities, Continuous Unrealized Loss Position, Twelve Months or Longer, Fair Value	0	12,686
Available-for-sale Securities, Continuous Unrealized Loss Position, 12 Months or Longer, Aggregate Losses	0	-1,966
Available-for-sale Securities, Continuous Unrealized Loss Position, Fair Value	151,716	29,116
Available-for-sale Securities, Continuous Unrealized Loss Position, Aggregate Losses	-586	-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	102,035	145,845
Available-for-sale Securities, Continuous Unrealized Loss Position, Less than 12 Months, Aggregate Losses	-1,125	-4,984
Available-for-sale Securities, Continuous Unrealized Loss Position, Twelve Months or Longer, Fair Value	0	38,922
Available-for-sale Securities, Continuous Unrealized Loss Position, 12 Months or Longer, Aggregate Losses	0	-14,593
Available-for-sale Securities, Continuous Unrealized Loss Position, Fair Value	102,035	184,767
Available-for-sale Securities, Continuous Unrealized Loss Position, Aggregate Losses	-1,125	-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	15,501	13,002
Available-for-sale Securities, Continuous Unrealized Loss Position, 12 Months or Longer, Aggregate Losses	-7,112	-8,726
Available-for-sale Securities, Continuous Unrealized Loss Position, Fair Value	15,501	13,002
Available-for-sale Securities, Continuous Unrealized Loss Position, Aggregate Losses	-7,112	-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	714	0
Available-for-sale Securities, Continuous Unrealized Loss Position, Less than 12 Months, Aggregate Losses	22	0
Available-for-sale Securities, Continuous Unrealized Loss Position, Twelve Months or Longer, Fair Value	0	527
Available-for-sale Securities, Continuous Unrealized Loss Position, 12 Months or Longer, Aggregate Losses	0	-33
Available-for-sale Securities, Continuous Unrealized Loss Position, Fair Value	714	527
Available-for-sale Securities, Continuous Unrealized Loss Position, Aggregate Losses	($22)	($33)

Preneed_Funeral_Activities_Pre

Preneed Funeral Activities Preneed Funeral Activities, Textuals (Details) (USD $)	3 Months Ended		9 Months Ended
	Sep. 30, 2014	Sep. 30, 2013	Sep. 30, 2014	Sep. 30, 2013
Other than Temporary Impairment Losses, Investments, Portion Recognized in Earnings, Net	$108,580,000	$375,000	$109,515,000	$2,507,000
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	26,100,000	'	26,100,000	'
Investment Earnings, Net	15,100,000	11,400,000	47,600,000	35,700,000
Other than Temporary Impairment Losses, Investments, Portion Recognized in Earnings, Net	$41,244,000	$157,000	$41,614,000	$803,000
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		9 Months Ended
In Thousands, unless otherwise specified	Sep. 30, 2014	Sep. 30, 2013	Sep. 30, 2014	Sep. 30, 2013
Investment related activities [Line Items]	'	'	'	'
Realized gains from sales of available-for-sale securities	$66,604	$37,789	$159,672	$121,710
Realized losses from sales of available-for-sale securities	-7,468	-6,632	-18,396	-22,615
Cemetery	'	'	'	'
Investment related activities [Line Items]	'	'	'	'
Deposits	34,018	27,407	95,421	81,019
Withdrawals	33,669	26,542	96,238	89,881
Purchases of available-for-sale securities	247,853	98,803	458,176	395,200
Sales of available-for-sale securities	285,411	73,171	481,258	407,503
Realized gains from sales of available-for-sale securities	40,635	19,965	86,822	66,284
Realized losses from sales of available-for-sale securities	($4,439)	($3,454)	($10,564)	($12,509)

Preneed_Cemetery_Activities_Lo

Preneed Cemetery Activities Long-term Receivable and Investment (Details) (USD $)	Sep. 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	$0	$4,750
Preneed cemetery receivables, net and trust investments	2,337,392	2,277,362
Cemetery	'	'
Long-term receivable and investment components [Line Items]	'	'
Trust investments, at market	1,478,069	1,532,875
Cash and cash equivalents	127,576	138,459
Assets of Disposal Group, Including Discontinued Operation, Current	-28,179	-106,815
Insurance-backed fixed income securities	13	4
Trust investments	1,577,479	1,564,523
Receivables from customers	856,330	798,365
Unearned finance charges	-32,277	-29,604
Preneed cemetary receivables, net and trust investments, excluding allowance for cancellation	2,401,532	2,333,284
Allowance for cancellation	-64,140	-55,922
Preneed cemetery receivables, net and trust investments	$2,337,392	$2,277,362

Preneed_Cemetery_Activities_Sc

Preneed Cemetery Activities Schedule of Available-for-sale Securities (Details) (Cemetery, USD $)	9 Months Ended	12 Months Ended
In Thousands, unless otherwise specified	Sep. 30, 2014	Dec. 31, 2013
Schedule of Available-for-sale Securities [Line Items]	'	'
Available-for-sale Securities, Amortized Cost Basis	$1,294,351	$1,359,811
Available-for-sale Securities, Gross Unrealized Gains	189,129	227,890
Available-for-sale Securities, Gross Unrealized Losses	-5,411	-54,826
Available-for-sale Securities, Fair Value	1,478,069	1,532,875
Fair Value, Inputs, Level 2 | US Treasury Securities	'	'
Schedule of Available-for-sale Securities [Line Items]	'	'
Available-for-sale Securities, Amortized Cost Basis	101,400	112,112
Available-for-sale Securities, Gross Unrealized Gains	1,617	1,714
Available-for-sale Securities, Gross Unrealized Losses	-2	-8,876
Available-for-sale Securities, Fair Value	103,015	104,950
Fair Value, Inputs, Level 2 | Foreign Government Debt Securities	'	'
Schedule of Available-for-sale Securities [Line Items]	'	'
Available-for-sale Securities, Amortized Cost Basis	17,719	17,073
Available-for-sale Securities, Gross Unrealized Gains	217	170
Available-for-sale Securities, Gross Unrealized Losses	-157	-261
Available-for-sale Securities, Fair Value	17,779	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	41,849	48,363
Available-for-sale Securities, Gross Unrealized Gains	5,010	5,262
Available-for-sale Securities, Gross Unrealized Losses	-167	-646
Available-for-sale Securities, Fair Value	46,692	52,979
Fair Value, Inputs, Level 2 | Residential Mortgage Backed Securities	'	'
Schedule of Available-for-sale Securities [Line Items]	'	'
Available-for-sale Securities, Amortized Cost Basis	132	402
Available-for-sale Securities, Gross Unrealized Gains	3	2
Available-for-sale Securities, Gross Unrealized Losses	-2	-2
Available-for-sale Securities, Fair Value	133	402
Fair Value, Inputs, Level 2 | Asset-backed Securities	'	'
Schedule of Available-for-sale Securities [Line Items]	'	'
Available-for-sale Securities, Amortized Cost Basis	169	3,299
Available-for-sale Securities, Gross Unrealized Gains	13	0
Available-for-sale Securities, Gross Unrealized Losses	0	13
Available-for-sale Securities, Fair Value	182	3,286
Fair Value, Inputs, Level 2 | Preferred Stock Securities	'	'
Schedule of Available-for-sale Securities [Line Items]	'	'
Available-for-sale Securities, Amortized Cost Basis	9,938	16,458
Available-for-sale Securities, Gross Unrealized Gains	522	1,106
Available-for-sale Securities, Gross Unrealized Losses	0	-123
Available-for-sale Securities, Fair Value	10,460	17,441
Fair Value, Inputs, Level 1 | US Common Stock Securities	'	'
Schedule of Available-for-sale Securities [Line Items]	'	'
Available-for-sale Securities, Amortized Cost Basis	372,178	417,335
Available-for-sale Securities, Gross Unrealized Gains	112,471	147,258
Available-for-sale Securities, Gross Unrealized Losses	0	-3,231
Available-for-sale Securities, Fair Value	484,649	561,362
Fair Value, Inputs, Level 1 | Canada Common Stock Securities	'	'
Schedule of Available-for-sale Securities [Line Items]	'	'
Available-for-sale Securities, Amortized Cost Basis	13,207	15,337
Available-for-sale Securities, Gross Unrealized Gains	5,712	4,063
Available-for-sale Securities, Gross Unrealized Losses	-377	-935
Available-for-sale Securities, Fair Value	18,542	18,465
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	32,440	43,417
Available-for-sale Securities, Gross Unrealized Gains	8,528	10,079
Available-for-sale Securities, Gross Unrealized Losses	0	-200
Available-for-sale Securities, Fair Value	40,968	53,296
Fair Value, Inputs, Level 1 | Equity Funds	'	'
Schedule of Available-for-sale Securities [Line Items]	'	'
Available-for-sale Securities, Amortized Cost Basis	372,803	321,770
Available-for-sale Securities, Gross Unrealized Gains	42,998	49,428
Available-for-sale Securities, Gross Unrealized Losses	0	-1,704
Available-for-sale Securities, Fair Value	415,801	369,494
Fair Value, Inputs, Level 1 | Fixed Income Funds	'	'
Schedule of Available-for-sale Securities [Line Items]	'	'
Available-for-sale Securities, Amortized Cost Basis	301,458	334,542
Available-for-sale Securities, Gross Unrealized Gains	7,195	5,236
Available-for-sale Securities, Gross Unrealized Losses	-656	-33,649
Available-for-sale Securities, Fair Value	307,997	306,129
Fair Value, Inputs, Level 3 | Private Equity Funds	'	'
Schedule of Available-for-sale Securities [Line Items]	'	'
Available-for-sale Securities, Amortized Cost Basis	30,240	28,625
Available-for-sale Securities, Gross Unrealized Gains	4,647	3,372
Available-for-sale Securities, Gross Unrealized Losses	-4,050	-5,153
Available-for-sale Securities, Fair Value	30,837	26,844
Fair Value, Inputs, Level 3 | Other Investments	'	'
Schedule of Available-for-sale Securities [Line Items]	'	'
Available-for-sale Securities, Amortized Cost Basis	818	1,078
Available-for-sale Securities, Gross Unrealized Gains	196	200
Available-for-sale Securities, Gross Unrealized Losses	0	-33
Available-for-sale Securities, Fair Value	$1,014	$1,245

Preneed_Cemetery_Activities_Le

Preneed Cemetery Activities Level 3 Activities (Details) (Cemetery, USD $)	3 Months Ended				9 Months Ended
In Thousands, unless otherwise specified	Sep. 30, 2014		Sep. 30, 2013		Sep. 30, 2014		Sep. 30, 2013
Private Equity Funds	'		'		'		'
Fair Value, Assets Measured on Recurring Basis, Unobservable Input Reconciliation, Calculation [Roll Forward]	'		'		'		'
Fair market value, beginning balance	$27,557		$26,627		$26,844		$17,687
Net unrealized losses included in Accumulated other comprehensive income	1,056	[1]	2,015	[1]	2,666	[1]	15,245	[1]
Net realized losses included in Other income, net(2)	-8	[2]	0	[2]	-23	[2]	-13	[2]
Contributions	5,379		21		6,404		2,356
Distributions and other	-3,147		-1,248		-5,054		-7,860
Fair market value, ending balance	30,837		27,415		30,837		27,415
Other Investments	'		'		'		'
Fair Value, Assets Measured on Recurring Basis, Unobservable Input Reconciliation, Calculation [Roll Forward]	'		'		'		'
Fair market value, beginning balance	1,078		1,258		1,245		450
Net unrealized losses included in Accumulated other comprehensive income	-186	[1]	277	[1]	-149	[1]	1,253	[1]
Net realized losses included in Other income, net(2)	-5	[2]	0	[2]	-6	[2]	-3	[2]
Contributions	127		0		127		0
Distributions and other	0		-205		-203		-370
Fair market value, ending balance	$1,014		$1,330		$1,014		$1,330
[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 (expense) income, net for our funeral merchandise and service trust investments are attributable to our preneed customers and are offset by a corresponding reclassification in Other (expense) income, 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 $)	Sep. 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	$9,700
Available-for-sale Securities, Debt Maturities, after One Through Five Years, Fair Value	75,924
Available-for-sale Securities, Debt Maturities, after Five Through Ten Years, Fair Value	34,330
Available-for-sale Securities, Debt Maturities, after Ten Years, Fair Value	47,847
Available-for-sale Securities, Debt Maturities, Total, Fair Value	$167,801

Preneed_Cemetery_Activities_Sc1

Preneed Cemetery Activities Schedule of Unrealized Loss on Investments (Details) (Cemetery, USD $)	9 Months Ended	12 Months Ended
In Thousands, unless otherwise specified	Sep. 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	$140,779	$266,099
Available-for-sale Securities, Continuous Unrealized Loss Position, Less than 12 Months, Aggregate Losses	-1,222	15,577
Available-for-sale Securities, Continuous Unrealized Loss Position, Twelve Months or Longer, Fair Value	12,581	121,045
Available-for-sale Securities, Continuous Unrealized Loss Position, 12 Months or Longer, Aggregate Losses	-4,189	39,249
Available-for-sale Securities, Continuous Unrealized Loss Position, Fair Value	153,360	387,144
Available-for-sale Securities, Continuous Unrealized Loss Position, Aggregate Losses	-5,411	-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	18,019	44,543
Available-for-sale Securities, Continuous Unrealized Loss Position, Less than 12 Months, Aggregate Losses	-2	-6,040
Available-for-sale Securities, Continuous Unrealized Loss Position, Twelve Months or Longer, Fair Value	0	24,668
Available-for-sale Securities, Continuous Unrealized Loss Position, 12 Months or Longer, Aggregate Losses	0	-2,836
Available-for-sale Securities, Continuous Unrealized Loss Position, Fair Value	18,019	69,211
Available-for-sale Securities, Continuous Unrealized Loss Position, Aggregate Losses	2	-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	4,848	9,424
Available-for-sale Securities, Continuous Unrealized Loss Position, Less than 12 Months, Aggregate Losses	-79	-120
Available-for-sale Securities, Continuous Unrealized Loss Position, Twelve Months or Longer, Fair Value	2,573	3,066
Available-for-sale Securities, Continuous Unrealized Loss Position, 12 Months or Longer, Aggregate Losses	-78	-141
Available-for-sale Securities, Continuous Unrealized Loss Position, Fair Value	7,421	12,490
Available-for-sale Securities, Continuous Unrealized Loss Position, Aggregate Losses	157	-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	12,875	14,908
Available-for-sale Securities, Continuous Unrealized Loss Position, Less than 12 Months, Aggregate Losses	-167	-424
Available-for-sale Securities, Continuous Unrealized Loss Position, Twelve Months or Longer, Fair Value	0	3,055
Available-for-sale Securities, Continuous Unrealized Loss Position, 12 Months or Longer, Aggregate Losses	0	-222
Available-for-sale Securities, Continuous Unrealized Loss Position, Fair Value	12,875	17,963
Available-for-sale Securities, Continuous Unrealized Loss Position, Aggregate Losses	167	-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	0	143
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	45	0
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	45	143
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	'	3,215
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	'	3,215
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	'	5,532
Available-for-sale Securities, Continuous Unrealized Loss Position, Less than 12 Months, Aggregate Losses	'	-123
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	'	5,532
Available-for-sale Securities, Continuous Unrealized Loss Position, Aggregate Losses	'	-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	'	45,730
Available-for-sale Securities, Continuous Unrealized Loss Position, Less than 12 Months, Aggregate Losses	'	-2,648
Available-for-sale Securities, Continuous Unrealized Loss Position, Twelve Months or Longer, Fair Value	'	3,447
Available-for-sale Securities, Continuous Unrealized Loss Position, 12 Months or Longer, Aggregate Losses	'	-583
Available-for-sale Securities, Continuous Unrealized Loss Position, Fair Value	'	49,177
Available-for-sale Securities, Continuous Unrealized Loss Position, Aggregate Losses	'	-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	1,450	1,562
Available-for-sale Securities, Continuous Unrealized Loss Position, Less than 12 Months, Aggregate Losses	-318	-502
Available-for-sale Securities, Continuous Unrealized Loss Position, Twelve Months or Longer, Fair Value	1,281	1,935
Available-for-sale Securities, Continuous Unrealized Loss Position, 12 Months or Longer, Aggregate Losses	-59	-433
Available-for-sale Securities, Continuous Unrealized Loss Position, Fair Value	2,731	3,497
Available-for-sale Securities, Continuous Unrealized Loss Position, Aggregate Losses	377	-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	'	4,288
Available-for-sale Securities, Continuous Unrealized Loss Position, Less than 12 Months, Aggregate Losses	'	-124
Available-for-sale Securities, Continuous Unrealized Loss Position, Twelve Months or Longer, Fair Value	'	692
Available-for-sale Securities, Continuous Unrealized Loss Position, 12 Months or Longer, Aggregate Losses	'	-76
Available-for-sale Securities, Continuous Unrealized Loss Position, Fair Value	'	4,980
Available-for-sale Securities, Continuous Unrealized Loss Position, Aggregate Losses	'	-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	'	3,809
Available-for-sale Securities, Continuous Unrealized Loss Position, Less than 12 Months, Aggregate Losses	'	-54
Available-for-sale Securities, Continuous Unrealized Loss Position, Twelve Months or Longer, Fair Value	'	14,260
Available-for-sale Securities, Continuous Unrealized Loss Position, 12 Months or Longer, Aggregate Losses	'	-1,650
Available-for-sale Securities, Continuous Unrealized Loss Position, Fair Value	'	18,069
Available-for-sale Securities, Continuous Unrealized Loss Position, Aggregate Losses	'	-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	103,587	132,945
Available-for-sale Securities, Continuous Unrealized Loss Position, Less than 12 Months, Aggregate Losses	-656	-5,527
Available-for-sale Securities, Continuous Unrealized Loss Position, Twelve Months or Longer, Fair Value	0	63,050
Available-for-sale Securities, Continuous Unrealized Loss Position, 12 Months or Longer, Aggregate Losses	0	-28,122
Available-for-sale Securities, Continuous Unrealized Loss Position, Fair Value	103,587	195,995
Available-for-sale Securities, Continuous Unrealized Loss Position, Aggregate Losses	656	-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	8,682	6,589
Available-for-sale Securities, Continuous Unrealized Loss Position, 12 Months or Longer, Aggregate Losses	-4,050	-5,153
Available-for-sale Securities, Continuous Unrealized Loss Position, Fair Value	8,682	6,589
Available-for-sale Securities, Continuous Unrealized Loss Position, Aggregate Losses	4,050	-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	'	283
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	'	283
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		9 Months Ended
	Sep. 30, 2014	Sep. 30, 2013	Sep. 30, 2014	Sep. 30, 2013
Other than Temporary Impairment Losses, Investments, Portion Recognized in Earnings, Net	$108,580,000	$375,000	$109,515,000	$2,507,000
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	27,700,000	'	27,700,000	'
Investment Earnings, Net	12,200,000	9,200,000	36,200,000	28,100,000
Other than Temporary Impairment Losses, Investments, Portion Recognized in Earnings, Net	$59,311,000	$218,000	$59,829,000	$1,515,000
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		9 Months Ended
In Thousands, unless otherwise specified	Sep. 30, 2014	Sep. 30, 2013	Sep. 30, 2014	Sep. 30, 2013
Investment related activities [Line Items]	'	'	'	'
Realized gains from sales of available-for-sale securities	$66,604	$37,789	$159,672	$121,710
Realized losses from sales of available-for-sale securities	-7,468	-6,632	-18,396	-22,615
Cemetery Perpetual Care	'	'	'	'
Investment related activities [Line Items]	'	'	'	'
Deposits	9,202	6,139	29,439	19,789
Withdrawals	8,680	9,388	23,879	26,009
Purchases of available-for-sale securities	169,973	23,050	233,795	113,497
Sales of available-for-sale securities	172,646	25,805	251,719	82,556
Realized gains from sales of available-for-sale securities	7,034	4,871	21,903	13,772
Realized losses from sales of available-for-sale securities	($935)	($966)	($1,599)	($1,728)

Cemetery_Perpetual_Care_Trusts3

Cemetery Perpetual Care Trusts Long-term Receivable and Investment (Details) (USD $)	9 Months Ended	12 Months Ended
In Thousands, unless otherwise specified	Sep. 30, 2014	Dec. 31, 2013
Long-term receivable and investment components [Line Items]	'	'
Assets of Disposal Group, Including Discontinued Operation, Current	$0	$4,750
Cemetery perpetual care trust investments	1,381,549	1,339,842
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	417,532	267,413
Available-for-sale Securities, Continuous Unrealized Loss Position, Less than 12 Months, Aggregate Losses	1,219	-4,478
Available-for-sale Securities, Continuous Unrealized Loss Position, Twelve Months or Longer, Fair Value	31,760	71,493
Available-for-sale Securities, Continuous Unrealized Loss Position, 12 Months or Longer, Aggregate Losses	-12,130	11,136
Available-for-sale Securities, Continuous Unrealized Loss Position, Fair Value	449,292	338,906
Available-for-sale Securities, Continuous Unrealized Loss Position, Aggregate Losses	-13,349	-15,614
Trust investments, at market	1,301,272	1,348,059
Restricted Cash	102,421	78,509
Assets of Disposal Group, Including Discontinued Operation, Current	-22,144	-86,726
Cemetery perpetual care trust investments	1,381,549	1,339,842
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	'	2,826
Available-for-sale Securities, Continuous Unrealized Loss Position, Less than 12 Months, Aggregate Losses	'	-10
Available-for-sale Securities, Continuous Unrealized Loss Position, Twelve Months or Longer, Fair Value	'	15
Available-for-sale Securities, Continuous Unrealized Loss Position, 12 Months or Longer, Aggregate Losses	'	-1
Available-for-sale Securities, Continuous Unrealized Loss Position, Fair Value	'	2,841
Available-for-sale Securities, Continuous Unrealized Loss Position, Aggregate Losses	'	($11)

Cemetery_Perpetual_Care_Trusts4

Cemetery Perpetual Care Trusts Schedule of Available-for-sale Securities (Details) (Cemetery Perpetual Care, USD $)	9 Months Ended	12 Months Ended
In Thousands, unless otherwise specified	Sep. 30, 2014	Dec. 31, 2013
Schedule of Available-for-sale Securities [Line Items]	'	'
Available-for-sale Securities, Amortized Cost Basis	$1,207,709	$1,262,236
Available-for-sale Securities, Gross Unrealized Gains	106,912	101,437
Available-for-sale Securities, Gross Unrealized Losses	-13,349	-15,614
Available-for-sale Securities, Fair Value	1,301,272	1,348,059
Fair Value, Inputs, Level 2 | US Treasury Securities	'	'
Schedule of Available-for-sale Securities [Line Items]	'	'
Available-for-sale Securities, Amortized Cost Basis	806	1,583
Available-for-sale Securities, Gross Unrealized Gains	24	9
Available-for-sale Securities, Gross Unrealized Losses	-3	-14
Available-for-sale Securities, Fair Value	827	1,578
Fair Value, Inputs, Level 2 | Foreign Government Debt Securities	'	'
Schedule of Available-for-sale Securities [Line Items]	'	'
Available-for-sale Securities, Amortized Cost Basis	28,385	28,487
Available-for-sale Securities, Gross Unrealized Gains	380	301
Available-for-sale Securities, Gross Unrealized Losses	-275	-459
Available-for-sale Securities, Fair Value	28,490	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	19,656	43,107
Available-for-sale Securities, Gross Unrealized Gains	406	311
Available-for-sale Securities, Gross Unrealized Losses	-289	-263
Available-for-sale Securities, Fair Value	19,773	43,155
Fair Value, Inputs, Level 2 | Residential Mortgage Backed Securities	'	'
Schedule of Available-for-sale Securities [Line Items]	'	'
Available-for-sale Securities, Amortized Cost Basis	1,057	4,242
Available-for-sale Securities, Gross Unrealized Gains	15	14
Available-for-sale Securities, Gross Unrealized Losses	-12	-19
Available-for-sale Securities, Fair Value	1,060	4,237
Fair Value, Inputs, Level 2 | Asset-backed Securities	'	'
Schedule of Available-for-sale Securities [Line Items]	'	'
Available-for-sale Securities, Amortized Cost Basis	823	2,996
Available-for-sale Securities, Gross Unrealized Gains	17	4
Available-for-sale Securities, Gross Unrealized Losses	0	-11
Available-for-sale Securities, Fair Value	840	2,989
Fair Value, Inputs, Level 2 | Preferred Stock Securities	'	'
Schedule of Available-for-sale Securities [Line Items]	'	'
Available-for-sale Securities, Amortized Cost Basis	6,763	25,860
Available-for-sale Securities, Gross Unrealized Gains	237	192
Available-for-sale Securities, Gross Unrealized Losses	-1	-252
Available-for-sale Securities, Fair Value	6,999	25,800
Fair Value, Inputs, Level 1 | US Common Stock Securities	'	'
Schedule of Available-for-sale Securities [Line Items]	'	'
Available-for-sale Securities, Amortized Cost Basis	178,667	230,174
Available-for-sale Securities, Gross Unrealized Gains	51,080	53,782
Available-for-sale Securities, Gross Unrealized Losses	-107	-2,087
Available-for-sale Securities, Fair Value	229,640	281,869
Fair Value, Inputs, Level 1 | Canada Common Stock Securities	'	'
Schedule of Available-for-sale Securities [Line Items]	'	'
Available-for-sale Securities, Amortized Cost Basis	7,698	8,843
Available-for-sale Securities, Gross Unrealized Gains	3,203	2,222
Available-for-sale Securities, Gross Unrealized Losses	-296	-623
Available-for-sale Securities, Fair Value	10,605	10,442
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	6,131	20,598
Available-for-sale Securities, Gross Unrealized Gains	1,545	1,320
Available-for-sale Securities, Gross Unrealized Losses	0	-167
Available-for-sale Securities, Fair Value	7,676	21,751
Fair Value, Inputs, Level 1 | Equity Funds	'	'
Schedule of Available-for-sale Securities [Line Items]	'	'
Available-for-sale Securities, Amortized Cost Basis	55,475	41,114
Available-for-sale Securities, Gross Unrealized Gains	6,406	5,693
Available-for-sale Securities, Gross Unrealized Losses	-15	-35
Available-for-sale Securities, Fair Value	61,866	46,772
Fair Value, Inputs, Level 1 | Fixed Income Funds	'	'
Schedule of Available-for-sale Securities [Line Items]	'	'
Available-for-sale Securities, Amortized Cost Basis	853,113	816,405
Available-for-sale Securities, Gross Unrealized Gains	41,722	35,964
Available-for-sale Securities, Gross Unrealized Losses	-110	-2,598
Available-for-sale Securities, Fair Value	894,725	849,771
Fair Value, Inputs, Level 3 | Private Equity Funds	'	'
Schedule of Available-for-sale Securities [Line Items]	'	'
Available-for-sale Securities, Amortized Cost Basis	36,778	28,309
Available-for-sale Securities, Gross Unrealized Gains	433	472
Available-for-sale Securities, Gross Unrealized Losses	-10,429	-9,002
Available-for-sale Securities, Fair Value	26,782	19,779
Fair Value, Inputs, Level 3 | Other Investments	'	'
Schedule of Available-for-sale Securities [Line Items]	'	'
Available-for-sale Securities, Amortized Cost Basis	12,357	10,518
Available-for-sale Securities, Gross Unrealized Gains	1,444	1,153
Available-for-sale Securities, Gross Unrealized Losses	-1,812	-84
Available-for-sale Securities, Fair Value	$11,989	$11,587

Cemetery_Perpetual_Care_Trusts5

Cemetery Perpetual Care Trusts Level 3 Activities (Details) (Cemetery Perpetual Care, USD $)	3 Months Ended				9 Months Ended
In Thousands, unless otherwise specified	Sep. 30, 2014		Sep. 30, 2013		Sep. 30, 2014		Sep. 30, 2013
Private Equity Funds	'		'		'		'
Fair Value, Assets Measured on Recurring Basis, Unobservable Input Reconciliation, Calculation [Roll Forward]	'		'		'		'
Fair market value, beginning balance	$21,274		$18,649		$19,779		$11,122
Net unrealized (losses) gains included in Accumulated other comprehensive income	-206	[1]	1,315	[1]	1,091	[1]	7,404	[1]
Net realized gains (losses) included in Other income, net(2)	-13	[2]	-5	[2]	-37	[2]	-100	[2]
Sales	'		'		-17		0
Contributions	9,058		0		10,461		2,317
Distributions and other	-3,331		-122		-4,495		-906
Fair market value, ending balance	26,782		19,837		26,782		19,837
Other Investments	'		'		'		'
Fair Value, Assets Measured on Recurring Basis, Unobservable Input Reconciliation, Calculation [Roll Forward]	'		'		'		'
Fair market value, beginning balance	11,983		10,815		11,587		7,659
Net unrealized (losses) gains included in Accumulated other comprehensive income	23	[1]	492	[1]	704	[1]	3,926	[1]
Net realized gains (losses) included in Other income, net(2)	-17	[2]	-3	[2]	-29	[2]	-56	[2]
Sales	'		'		0		0
Contributions	0		0		0		0
Distributions and other	0		-139		-273		-364
Fair market value, ending balance	$11,989		$11,165		$11,989		$11,165
[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 (expense) income, net for our funeral merchandise and service trust investments are attributable to our preneed customers and are offset by a corresponding reclassification in Other (expense) income, 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 $)	Sep. 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	$14,290
Available-for-sale Securities, Debt Maturities, after One Through Five Years, Fair Value	26,786
Available-for-sale Securities, Debt Maturities, after Five Through Ten Years, Fair Value	9,086
Available-for-sale Securities, Debt Maturities, after Ten Years, Fair Value	828
Available-for-sale Securities, Debt Maturities, Total, Fair Value	$50,990

Cemetery_Perpetual_Care_Trusts7

Cemetery Perpetual Care Trusts Schedule of Unrealized Loss on Investments (Details) (Cemetery Perpetual Care, USD $)	9 Months Ended	12 Months Ended
In Thousands, unless otherwise specified	Sep. 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	$417,532	$267,413
Available-for-sale Securities, Continuous Unrealized Loss Position, Less than 12 Months, Aggregate Losses	1,219	-4,478
Available-for-sale Securities, Continuous Unrealized Loss Position, Twelve Months or Longer, Fair Value	31,760	71,493
Available-for-sale Securities, Continuous Unrealized Loss Position, 12 Months or Longer, Aggregate Losses	-12,130	11,136
Available-for-sale Securities, Continuous Unrealized Loss Position, Fair Value	449,292	338,906
Available-for-sale Securities, Continuous Unrealized Loss Position, Aggregate Losses	-13,349	-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	494	1,334
Available-for-sale Securities, Continuous Unrealized Loss Position, Less than 12 Months, Aggregate Losses	-3	-14
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	494	1,334
Available-for-sale Securities, Continuous Unrealized Loss Position, Aggregate Losses	-3	-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	7,820	15,777
Available-for-sale Securities, Continuous Unrealized Loss Position, Less than 12 Months, Aggregate Losses	-137	-214
Available-for-sale Securities, Continuous Unrealized Loss Position, Twelve Months or Longer, Fair Value	4,145	5,131
Available-for-sale Securities, Continuous Unrealized Loss Position, 12 Months or Longer, Aggregate Losses	-138	-245
Available-for-sale Securities, Continuous Unrealized Loss Position, Fair Value	11,965	20,908
Available-for-sale Securities, Continuous Unrealized Loss Position, Aggregate Losses	-275	-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	5,238	22,482
Available-for-sale Securities, Continuous Unrealized Loss Position, Less than 12 Months, Aggregate Losses	-107	-129
Available-for-sale Securities, Continuous Unrealized Loss Position, Twelve Months or Longer, Fair Value	4,069	3,298
Available-for-sale Securities, Continuous Unrealized Loss Position, 12 Months or Longer, Aggregate Losses	-182	-134
Available-for-sale Securities, Continuous Unrealized Loss Position, Fair Value	9,307	25,780
Available-for-sale Securities, Continuous Unrealized Loss Position, Aggregate Losses	-289	-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	197	2,950
Available-for-sale Securities, Continuous Unrealized Loss Position, Less than 12 Months, Aggregate Losses	-3	-18
Available-for-sale Securities, Continuous Unrealized Loss Position, Twelve Months or Longer, Fair Value	240	10
Available-for-sale Securities, Continuous Unrealized Loss Position, 12 Months or Longer, Aggregate Losses	-9	-1
Available-for-sale Securities, Continuous Unrealized Loss Position, Fair Value	437	2,960
Available-for-sale Securities, Continuous Unrealized Loss Position, Aggregate Losses	-12	-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	'	2,826
Available-for-sale Securities, Continuous Unrealized Loss Position, Less than 12 Months, Aggregate Losses	'	-10
Available-for-sale Securities, Continuous Unrealized Loss Position, Twelve Months or Longer, Fair Value	'	15
Available-for-sale Securities, Continuous Unrealized Loss Position, 12 Months or Longer, Aggregate Losses	'	-1
Available-for-sale Securities, Continuous Unrealized Loss Position, Fair Value	'	2,841
Available-for-sale Securities, Continuous Unrealized Loss Position, Aggregate Losses	'	-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	1,861	14,602
Available-for-sale Securities, Continuous Unrealized Loss Position, Less than 12 Months, Aggregate Losses	-1	-245
Available-for-sale Securities, Continuous Unrealized Loss Position, Twelve Months or Longer, Fair Value	0	43
Available-for-sale Securities, Continuous Unrealized Loss Position, 12 Months or Longer, Aggregate Losses	0	-7
Available-for-sale Securities, Continuous Unrealized Loss Position, Fair Value	1,861	14,645
Available-for-sale Securities, Continuous Unrealized Loss Position, Aggregate Losses	-1	-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	32,475	23,747
Available-for-sale Securities, Continuous Unrealized Loss Position, Less than 12 Months, Aggregate Losses	-107	-1,561
Available-for-sale Securities, Continuous Unrealized Loss Position, Twelve Months or Longer, Fair Value	0	3,234
Available-for-sale Securities, Continuous Unrealized Loss Position, 12 Months or Longer, Aggregate Losses	0	-526
Available-for-sale Securities, Continuous Unrealized Loss Position, Fair Value	32,475	26,981
Available-for-sale Securities, Continuous Unrealized Loss Position, Aggregate Losses	-107	-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	1,113	667
Available-for-sale Securities, Continuous Unrealized Loss Position, Less than 12 Months, Aggregate Losses	-83	-129
Available-for-sale Securities, Continuous Unrealized Loss Position, Twelve Months or Longer, Fair Value	1,237	1,794
Available-for-sale Securities, Continuous Unrealized Loss Position, 12 Months or Longer, Aggregate Losses	-213	-494
Available-for-sale Securities, Continuous Unrealized Loss Position, Fair Value	2,350	2,461
Available-for-sale Securities, Continuous Unrealized Loss Position, Aggregate Losses	-296	-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	'	1,535
Available-for-sale Securities, Continuous Unrealized Loss Position, Less than 12 Months, Aggregate Losses	'	-54
Available-for-sale Securities, Continuous Unrealized Loss Position, Twelve Months or Longer, Fair Value	'	521
Available-for-sale Securities, Continuous Unrealized Loss Position, 12 Months or Longer, Aggregate Losses	'	-113
Available-for-sale Securities, Continuous Unrealized Loss Position, Fair Value	'	2,056
Available-for-sale Securities, Continuous Unrealized Loss Position, Aggregate Losses	'	-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	32,624	389
Available-for-sale Securities, Continuous Unrealized Loss Position, Less than 12 Months, Aggregate Losses	-15	-14
Available-for-sale Securities, Continuous Unrealized Loss Position, Twelve Months or Longer, Fair Value	0	162
Available-for-sale Securities, Continuous Unrealized Loss Position, 12 Months or Longer, Aggregate Losses	0	-21
Available-for-sale Securities, Continuous Unrealized Loss Position, Fair Value	32,624	551
Available-for-sale Securities, Continuous Unrealized Loss Position, Aggregate Losses	-15	-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	321,197	181,104
Available-for-sale Securities, Continuous Unrealized Loss Position, Less than 12 Months, Aggregate Losses	-110	-2,090
Available-for-sale Securities, Continuous Unrealized Loss Position, Twelve Months or Longer, Fair Value	0	28,304
Available-for-sale Securities, Continuous Unrealized Loss Position, 12 Months or Longer, Aggregate Losses	0	-508
Available-for-sale Securities, Continuous Unrealized Loss Position, Fair Value	321,197	209,408
Available-for-sale Securities, Continuous Unrealized Loss Position, Aggregate Losses	-110	-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	10,428	0
Available-for-sale Securities, Continuous Unrealized Loss Position, Less than 12 Months, Aggregate Losses	-462	0
Available-for-sale Securities, Continuous Unrealized Loss Position, Twelve Months or Longer, Fair Value	15,886	19,242
Available-for-sale Securities, Continuous Unrealized Loss Position, 12 Months or Longer, Aggregate Losses	-9,967	-9,002
Available-for-sale Securities, Continuous Unrealized Loss Position, Fair Value	26,314	19,242
Available-for-sale Securities, Continuous Unrealized Loss Position, Aggregate Losses	-10,429	-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	4,085	0
Available-for-sale Securities, Continuous Unrealized Loss Position, Less than 12 Months, Aggregate Losses	-191	0
Available-for-sale Securities, Continuous Unrealized Loss Position, Twelve Months or Longer, Fair Value	6,183	9,739
Available-for-sale Securities, Continuous Unrealized Loss Position, 12 Months or Longer, Aggregate Losses	-1,621	-84
Available-for-sale Securities, Continuous Unrealized Loss Position, Fair Value	10,268	9,739
Available-for-sale Securities, Continuous Unrealized Loss Position, Aggregate Losses	($1,812)	($84)

Cemetery_Perpetual_Care_Trusts8

Cemetery Perpetual Care Trusts Cemetery Perpetual Care Trusts, Textuals (Details) (USD $)	3 Months Ended		9 Months Ended
	Sep. 30, 2014	Sep. 30, 2013	Sep. 30, 2014	Sep. 30, 2013
Other than Temporary Impairment Losses, Investments, Portion Recognized in Earnings, Net	($108,580,000)	($375,000)	($109,515,000)	($2,507,000)
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%	'
Fair Value, Investments, Entities that Calculate Net Asset Value Per Share, Unfunded Commitments	10,100,000	'	10,100,000	'
Investment Earnings, Net	10,900,000	9,500,000	39,900,000	31,200,000
Other than Temporary Impairment Losses, Investments, Portion Recognized in Earnings, Net	($8,025,000)	$0	($8,072,000)	($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		9 Months Ended
In Thousands, unless otherwise specified	Sep. 30, 2014	Sep. 30, 2013	Sep. 30, 2014	Sep. 30, 2013	Dec. 31, 2013
Component of Other Income, Nonoperating [Line Items]	'	'	'	'	'
Deferred preneed funeral and cemetery receipts held in trust, excluding accrued expenses	$3,241,727	'	$3,241,727	'	$3,248,511
Accrued trust operating payables and other	-7,653	'	-7,653	'	-2,806
Deferred preneed funeral and cemetery receipts held in trust	3,234,074	'	3,234,074	'	3,245,705
Care trusts’ corpus	1,380,096	'	1,380,096	'	1,338,181
Realized gains from sales of available-for-sale securities	66,604	37,789	159,672	121,710	'
Realized losses from sales of available-for-sale securities	-7,468	-6,632	-18,396	-22,615	'
Other than Temporary Impairment Losses, Investments, Portion Recognized in Earnings, Net	-108,580	-375	-109,515	-2,507	'
Interest, dividend, and other ordinary income	10,024	11,013	52,945	51,353	'
Trust expenses and income taxes	-13,920	-6,490	-36,231	-19,868	'
Net trust investment income	-53,340	35,305	48,475	128,073	'
Investment Income, Nonoperating, Effect on Deferred Preneed Receipts Held in Trust and Care Trust Corpus'	53,340	-35,305	-48,475	-128,073	'
Other income, net	-9	667	1,577	-1,013	'
Total other income, net	-9	667	1,577	-1,013	'
Funeral	'	'	'	'	'
Component of Other Income, Nonoperating [Line Items]	'	'	'	'	'
Deferred preneed funeral and cemetery receipts held in trust, excluding accrued expenses	1,664,248	'	1,664,248	'	1,683,988
Accrued trust operating payables and other	-3,545	'	-3,545	'	-1,108
Deferred preneed funeral and cemetery receipts held in trust	1,660,703	'	1,660,703	'	1,682,880
Realized gains from sales of available-for-sale securities	18,935	12,953	50,947	41,654	'
Realized losses from sales of available-for-sale securities	-2,094	-2,212	-6,233	-8,378	'
Other than Temporary Impairment Losses, Investments, Portion Recognized in Earnings, Net	-41,244	-157	-41,614	-803	'
Interest, dividend, and other ordinary income	1,849	2,470	15,323	18,493	'
Trust expenses and income taxes	-6,748	-2,705	-16,193	-7,743	'
Net trust investment income	-29,302	10,349	2,230	43,223	'
Investment Income, Nonoperating, Effect on Deferred Preneed Receipts Held in Trust and Care Trust Corpus'	29,302	-10,349	-2,230	-43,223	'
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	'	'	'	'	1,564,523
Accrued trust operating payables and other	-4,108	'	-4,108	'	-1,698
Deferred preneed funeral and cemetery receipts held in trust	1,573,371	'	1,573,371	'	1,562,825
Realized gains from sales of available-for-sale securities	40,635	19,965	86,822	66,284	'
Realized losses from sales of available-for-sale securities	-4,439	-3,454	-10,564	-12,509	'
Other than Temporary Impairment Losses, Investments, Portion Recognized in Earnings, Net	-59,311	-218	-59,829	-1,515	'
Interest, dividend, and other ordinary income	2,681	3,171	10,157	13,615	'
Trust expenses and income taxes	-6,541	-3,512	-15,733	-10,268	'
Net trust investment income	-26,975	15,952	10,853	55,607	'
Investment Income, Nonoperating, Effect on Deferred Preneed Receipts Held in Trust and Care Trust Corpus'	26,975	-15,952	-10,853	-55,607	'
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	-1,453	'	-1,453	'	-1,661
Care trusts' corpus, excluding accrued expenses	1,381,549	'	1,381,549	'	1,339,842
Care trusts’ corpus	1,380,096	'	1,380,096	'	1,338,181
Realized gains from sales of available-for-sale securities	7,034	4,871	21,903	13,772	'
Realized losses from sales of available-for-sale securities	-935	-966	-1,599	-1,728	'
Other than Temporary Impairment Losses, Investments, Portion Recognized in Earnings, Net	-8,025	0	-8,072	-189	'
Interest, dividend, and other ordinary income	5,494	5,372	27,465	19,245	'
Trust expenses and income taxes	-631	-273	-4,305	-1,857	'
Net trust investment income	2,937	9,004	35,392	29,243	'
Investment Income, Nonoperating, Effect on Deferred Preneed Receipts Held in Trust and Care Trust Corpus'	-2,937	-9,004	-35,392	-29,243	'
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	-9	667	1,577	-1,013	'
Total other income, net	($9)	$667	$1,577	($1,013)	'

Income_Taxes_Narrative_Details

Income Taxes Narrative (Details) (USD $)	3 Months Ended		9 Months Ended
In Millions, unless otherwise specified	Sep. 30, 2014	Sep. 30, 2013	Sep. 30, 2014	Sep. 30, 2013
Income Taxes [Abstract]	'	'	'	'
Effective Income Tax Rate, Continuing Operations	81.70%	40.30%	60.00%	38.50%
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	46.9	'	46.9	'
Unrecognized tax benefits, reduction of accrued interest	'	'	$2.30	'

Debt_Details

Debt (Details) (USD $)	Sep. 30, 2014	Dec. 31, 2013
In Thousands, unless otherwise specified
Debt Instrument [Line Items]	'	'
Notes Payable to Bank, Noncurrent	$377,500	$600,000
Bank credit facility due March 2016	235,000	30,000
Total debt	3,067,766	3,301,910
Less current maturities	-109,266	-176,362
Long-term Debt and Capital Lease Obligations, Current	-109,907	-153,738
Debt instrument, unamortized discount (premium), net, current portion	641	22,624
Total long-term debt	2,958,500	3,125,548
Unsecured Debt	'	'
Debt Instrument [Line Items]	'	'
Unamortized pricing discounts and other	-3,062	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	186,596	189,697
Mortgages	'	'
Debt Instrument [Line Items]	'	'
Mortgage notes and other debt, maturities through 2047	$4,221	$4,752

Debt_Narratives_Details

Debt Narratives (Details) (USD $)	3 Months Ended		9 Months Ended
	Sep. 30, 2014	Sep. 30, 2013	Sep. 30, 2014	Sep. 30, 2013	Dec. 31, 2013
Debt Instrument [Line Items]	'	'	'	'	'
Reclassification of debt	'	'	'	'	$30,000,000
Debt, Weighted Average Interest Rate	5.19%	'	5.19%	'	5.25%
Long-term Debt, Percentage Bearing Fixed Interest, Percentage Rate	74.00%	'	74.00%	'	76.00%
Line of Credit Facility, Maximum Borrowing Capacity	500,000,000	'	500,000,000	'	'
Long-term Line of Credit	377,500,000	'	377,500,000	'	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	31,700,000	'	31,700,000	'	'
Repayments of Debt and Capital Lease Obligations	'	'	22,100,000	'	'
Line of Credit Facility, Unused Capacity, Commitment Fee Percentage	0.35%	'	'	'	'
Line of Credit Facility, Remaining Borrowing Capacity	233,300,000	'	233,300,000	'	'
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	'	'	21,979,000	19,585,000	'
Repayments of Debt	'	'	985,800,000	19,700,000	'
Repayments of Long-term Debt	'	'	222,958,000	90,435,000	'
Repayments of Other Debt	'	'	400,000	100,000	'
Gains (Losses) on Extinguishment of Debt	0	0	-29,158,000	468,000	'
Capital Lease Obligations Incurred	'	'	31,100,000	34,000,000	'
May-19	'	'	'	'	'
Debt Instrument [Line Items]	'	'	'	'	'
Repayments of Debt	'	'	250,000,000	'	'
Apr-19	'	'	'	'	'
Debt Instrument [Line Items]	'	'	'	'	'
Repayments of Debt	'	'	200,000,000	'	'
Repayments of Long-term Debt	'	'	9,100,000	'	'
Apr-15	'	'	'	'	'
Debt Instrument [Line Items]	'	'	'	'	'
Repayments of Debt	'	'	136,500,000	'	'
Jul-18	'	'	'	'	'
Debt Instrument [Line Items]	'	'	'	'	'
Repayments of Debt	'	'	222,500,000	'	'
Jul-14	'	'	'	'	'
Debt Instrument [Line Items]	'	'	'	'	'
Repayments of Debt	'	'	86,400,000	'	'
Repayments of Long-term Debt	'	'	21,700,000	'	'
Jul-16	'	'	'	'	'
Debt Instrument [Line Items]	'	'	'	'	'
Repayments of Debt	'	'	45,000,000	'	'
Repayments of Long-term Debt	'	'	14,200,000	'	'
Feb-13	'	'	'	'	'
Debt Instrument [Line Items]	'	'	'	'	'
Repayments of Debt and Capital Lease Obligations	'	'	19,600,000	'	'
Unsecured Debt | May 2019	'	'	'	'	'
Debt Instrument [Line Items]	'	'	'	'	'
Senior Notes	0	'	0	'	250,000,000
Unsecured Debt | April 2019	'	'	'	'	'
Debt Instrument [Line Items]	'	'	'	'	'
Senior Notes	0	'	0	'	200,000,000
Unsecured Debt | April 2015	'	'	'	'	'
Debt Instrument [Line Items]	'	'	'	'	'
Senior Notes	$0	'	$0	'	$136,465,000

Credit_Risk_and_Fair_Value_of_2

Credit Risk and Fair Value of Financial Instruments (Details) (USD $)	Sep. 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	4,221	4,752
Total fair value of debt instruments	3,004,630	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	209,466	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	321,550	333,259
Oct-18	'	'
Fair Value, Assets and Liabilities Measured on Recurring and Nonrecurring Basis [Line Items]	'	'
Senior Notes	283,125	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	201,250	192,610
Nov-21	'	'
Fair Value, Assets and Liabilities Measured on Recurring and Nonrecurring Basis [Line Items]	'	'
Senior Notes	172,913	173,625
Jan-22	'	'
Fair Value, Assets and Liabilities Measured on Recurring and Nonrecurring Basis [Line Items]	'	'
Senior Notes	427,210	431,588
May-24	'	'
Fair Value, Assets and Liabilities Measured on Recurring and Nonrecurring Basis [Line Items]	'	'
Senior Notes	551,485	0
Apr-27	'	'
Fair Value, Assets and Liabilities Measured on Recurring and Nonrecurring Basis [Line Items]	'	'
Senior Notes	220,750	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	$377,500	$600,000

ShareBased_Compensation_Detail

Share-Based Compensation (Details) (USD $)	9 Months Ended
	Sep. 30, 2014	Sep. 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	2,865,060	'
Share-based Compensation Arrangement by Share-based Payment Award, Options, Exercises in Period, Weighted Average Exercise Price	9.85	'
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	12,924,506	'
Options outstanding at end of period, weighted average exercise price	11.29	'
Options exercisable at March 31, 2012	8,464,756	'
Share-based Compensation Arrangement by Share-based Payment Award, Options, Exercisable, Weighted Average Exercise Price	8.88	'
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	351,860	'
Share-based Compensation Arrangement by Share-based Payment Award, Equity Instruments Other than Options, Grants in Period, Weighted Average Grant Date Fair Value	17.6	'
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	1,347,540	'
Nonvested restricted shares at end of period, weighted average grant date fair value	13.35	'

ShareBased_Compensation_Narrat

Share-Based Compensation Narratives (Details) (USD $)	9 Months Ended
In Millions, unless otherwise specified	Sep. 30, 2014
Stock Options	'
Employee Service Share-based Compensation, Nonvested Awards, Total Compensation Cost Not yet Recognized	$10.80
Employee Service Share-based Compensation, Nonvested Awards, Total Compensation Cost Not yet Recognized, Period for Recognition	'1 year 5 months
Restricted Stock	'
Employee Service Share-based Compensation, Nonvested Awards, Total Compensation Cost Not yet Recognized	$8
Employee Service Share-based Compensation, Nonvested Awards, Total Compensation Cost Not yet Recognized, Period for Recognition	'1 year 5 months

Equity_Components_of_Accumulat

Equity Components of Accumulated Other Comrehensive income (Details) (USD $)	3 Months Ended		9 Months Ended
In Thousands, unless otherwise specified	Sep. 30, 2014	Sep. 30, 2013	Sep. 30, 2014	Sep. 30, 2013
Other Comprehensive Income (Loss), Foreign Currency Transaction and Translation Adjustment, Net of Tax	($16,060)	$7,497	($13,732)	($9,773)
Accumulated other comprehensive income [Roll Forward]	'	'	'	'
Balance at beginning of period	'	'	88,441	'
Activity in 2014	'	'	80,239	110,779
Other Comprehensive Income (Loss), Foreign Currency Transaction and Translation Reclassification Adjustment from AOCI, Realized upon Sale or Liquidation, Net of Tax	3,114	0	3,114	0
Balance at end of period	77,823	'	77,823	'
Accumulated Other Comprehensive Income (Loss)	'	'	'	'
Other Comprehensive Income (Loss), Foreign Currency Transaction and Translation Adjustment, Net of Tax	'	'	-13,732	'
Accumulated other comprehensive income [Roll Forward]	'	'	'	'
Balance at beginning of period	'	'	88,441	111,717
Activity in 2014	'	'	-10,618	-9,768
Other Comprehensive Income (Loss), Foreign Currency Transaction and Translation Reclassification Adjustment from AOCI, Realized upon Sale or Liquidation, Net of Tax	'	'	3,114	'
Increase in net unrealized gains associated with available-for-sale securities of the trusts, net of taxes	'	'	11,672	67,271
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	'	'	-11,672	-67,271
Balance at end of period	77,823	101,949	77,823	101,949
Foreign Currency Gain (Loss)	'	'	'	'
Accumulated other comprehensive income [Roll Forward]	'	'	'	'
Balance at beginning of period	'	'	88,441	111,717
Activity in 2014	'	'	'	-9,768
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	77,823	101,949	77,823	101,949
Accumulated Net Unrealized Investment Gain (Loss)	'	'	'	'
Other Comprehensive Income (Loss), Foreign Currency Transaction and Translation Adjustment, Net of Tax	'	'	0	'
Accumulated other comprehensive income [Roll Forward]	'	'	'	'
Balance at beginning of period	'	'	0	0
Activity in 2014	'	'	'	0
Other Comprehensive Income (Loss), Foreign Currency Transaction and Translation Reclassification Adjustment from AOCI, Realized upon Sale or Liquidation, Net of Tax	'	'	0	'
Increase in net unrealized gains associated with available-for-sale securities of the trusts, net of taxes	'	'	11,672	67,271
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	'	'	-11,672	-67,271
Balance at end of period	$0	$0	$0	$0

Equity_Narratives_Details

Equity Narratives (Details) (USD $)	3 Months Ended			9 Months Ended
In Millions, except Share data, unless otherwise specified	Dec. 31, 2014	Sep. 30, 2014	Sep. 30, 2013	Sep. 30, 2014	Sep. 30, 2013	Oct. 30, 2014
Equity [Abstract]	'	'	'	'	'	'
Dividends declared per share	'	$0.09	$0.07	$0.25	$0.20	'
Dividends, Common Stock, Cash	'	'	'	$19	'	'
Treasury Stock, Shares, Acquired	1,725,875	6,280,649	'	0	0	'
Treasury Stock, Value, Acquired, Par Value Method	36.3	'	'	129.1	'	'
Treasury Stock Acquired, Average Cost Per Share	$21.06	'	'	$20.56	'	'
Stock Repurchase Program, Remaining Authorized Repurchase Amount	'	$61	'	$61	'	$24.70

Segment_Reporting_Details

Segment Reporting (Details) (USD $)	3 Months Ended		9 Months Ended
In Thousands, unless otherwise specified	Sep. 30, 2014	Sep. 30, 2013	Sep. 30, 2014	Sep. 30, 2013
Segment Reporting Information [Line Items]	'	'	'	'
Revenue from External Customers	$718,314	$608,589	$2,210,569	$1,883,238
Gross Profit	148,298	115,805	470,402	401,115
General and administrative expenses	-39,748	-33,740	-141,885	-96,042
Losses (gains) on divestitures and impairment charges, net	26,570	981	58,752	-5,533
Operating income	135,120	83,046	387,269	299,540
Interest expense	-43,376	-38,080	-134,679	-103,589
Gains on early extinguishment of debt, net	0	0	-29,158	468
Other income (expense), net	-9	667	1,577	-1,013
Income before income taxes	91,735	45,633	225,009	195,406
UNITED STATES	'	'	'	'
Segment Reporting Information [Line Items]	'	'	'	'
Revenue from External Customers	671,949	552,128	2,062,231	1,717,909
CANADA	'	'	'	'
Segment Reporting Information [Line Items]	'	'	'	'
Revenue from External Customers	46,365	56,461	148,338	165,329
Funeral	'	'	'	'
Segment Reporting Information [Line Items]	'	'	'	'
Revenue from External Customers	458,941	398,220	1,447,526	1,272,850
Gross Profit	88,122	66,812	305,277	266,872
Other income (expense), net	0	0	0	0
Cemetery	'	'	'	'
Segment Reporting Information [Line Items]	'	'	'	'
Revenue from External Customers	259,373	210,369	763,043	610,388
Gross Profit	60,176	48,993	165,125	134,243
Other income (expense), net	$0	$0	$0	$0

Supplementary_Information_Deta

Supplementary Information (Details) (USD $)	3 Months Ended		9 Months Ended
In Thousands, except Share data, unless otherwise specified	Sep. 30, 2014	Sep. 30, 2013	Sep. 30, 2014	Sep. 30, 2013
Product Information [Line Items]	'	'	'	'
Total merchandise revenues	$329,925	$291,277	$994,671	$873,320
Total services revenues	342,145	280,578	1,086,015	903,049
Other revenues	46,244	36,734	129,883	106,869
Total revenues	718,314	608,589	2,210,569	1,883,238
Total cost of merchandise	147,633	125,033	458,530	386,923
Total cost of services	192,244	161,979	590,045	488,827
Overhead and other expenses	230,139	205,772	691,592	606,373
Total costs and expenses	570,016	492,784	1,740,167	1,482,123
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	146,786	137,507	467,170	440,071
Total services revenues	276,916	230,658	878,154	745,344
Total revenues	458,941	398,220	1,447,526	1,272,850
Total cost of merchandise	68,943	62,604	224,192	203,423
Total cost of services	157,846	137,661	479,586	411,958
Cemetery	'	'	'	'
Product Information [Line Items]	'	'	'	'
Total merchandise revenues	183,139	153,770	527,501	433,249
Total services revenues	65,229	49,920	207,861	157,705
Total revenues	259,373	210,369	763,043	610,388
Total cost of merchandise	78,690	62,429	234,338	183,500
Total cost of services	$34,398	$24,318	$110,459	$76,869

Commitments_and_Contingencies_1

Commitments and Contingencies (Details) (USD $)	Sep. 30, 2014	Dec. 31, 2013
In Millions, unless otherwise specified
Commitments and Contingencies [Abstract]	'	'
Self Insurance Reserve	$76.20	$78

Earnings_Per_Share_Details

Earnings Per Share (Details) (USD $)	3 Months Ended		9 Months Ended
In Thousands, except Share data, unless otherwise specified	Sep. 30, 2014	Sep. 30, 2013	Sep. 30, 2014	Sep. 30, 2013
Antidilutive Securities Excluded from Computation of Earnings Per Share [Line Items]	'	'	'	'
Antidilutive Securities Excluded from Computation of Earnings Per Share, Amount	142	1,376	1,431	1,742
Net Income (Loss) Attributable to Parent [Abstract]	'	'	'	'
Net income attributable to common stockholders	$17,651	$26,779	$84,675	$118,015
After tax interest on convertible debt	0	13	38	38
Net income — diluted	$17,651	$26,792	$84,713	$118,053
Weighted average shares (denominator):	'	'	'	'
Weighted average shares — basic	-210,820,000	-211,954,000	-212,009,000	-211,721,000
Stock options	2,190,000	4,295,000	3,235,000	4,035,000
Convertible debt	0	121,000	121,000	121,000
Weighted average shares — diluted	213,010,000	216,370,000	215,365,000	215,877,000
Net income attributable to common stockholders, basic	$0.08	$0.13	$0.40	$0.56
Net income attributable to common stockholders, diluted	$0.08	$0.12	$0.39	$0.55
Equity Option [Member]	'	'	'	'
Antidilutive Securities Excluded from Computation of Earnings Per Share [Line Items]	'	'	'	'
Antidilutive Securities Excluded from Computation of Earnings Per Share, Amount	21	1,376	1,431	1,742
Antidilutive Convertible Debentures [Member]	'	'	'	'
Antidilutive Securities Excluded from Computation of Earnings Per Share [Line Items]	'	'	'	'
Antidilutive Securities Excluded from Computation of Earnings Per Share, Amount	121	0	0	0

Earnings_Per_Share_Narratives_

Earnings Per Share Narratives (Details) (USD $)	3 Months Ended		9 Months Ended
	Sep. 30, 2014	Sep. 30, 2013	Sep. 30, 2014	Sep. 30, 2013
Earnings Per Share [Abstract]	'	'	'	'
Discontinued Operation, Income (Loss) from Discontinued Operation, Net of Tax, Per Basic Share	$0	'	'	'
Antidilutive Securities Excluded from Computation of Earnings Per Share, Amount	142	1,376	1,431	1,742

Acquisition_Details

Acquisition (Details) (USD $)	3 Months Ended	9 Months Ended		12 Months Ended
	Sep. 30, 2013	Sep. 30, 2014	Sep. 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	'	'	'	'	'	11,892,000	'	'
Business Combination, Recognized Identifiable Assets Acquired and Liabilities Assumed, Current Assets, Prepaid Expense and Other Assets	'	'	'	'	'	186,871,000	'	'
Business Acquisition, Purchase Price Allocation, Cemetery property	'	'	'	'	'	303,775,000	'	'
Business Combination, Recognized Identifiable Assets Acquired and Liabilities Assumed, Property, Plant, and Equipment	'	'	'	'	'	340,697,000	'	'
Business Acquisition, Purchase Price Allocation, Preneed funeral and cemetery receivables and trust investments	'	'	'	'	'	648,482,000	'	'
Business Combination, Recognized Identifiable Assets Acquired and Liabilities Assumed, Finite-Lived Intangibles	'	'	'	'	'	71,938,000	'	'
Business Combination, Recognized Identifiable Assets Acquired and Liabilities Assumed, Indefinite-Lived Intangible Assets	'	'	'	'	'	79,400,000	'	'
Business combination, assets to be divested	'	'	'	'	'	524,293,000	'	'
Business Combination, Recognized Identifiable Assets Acquired and Liabilities Assumed, Other Noncurrent Assets	'	'	'	'	'	265,098,000	'	'
Business Combination, Recognized Identifiable Assets Acquired and Liabilities Assumed, Assets	'	'	'	'	'	2,978,289,000	'	'
Business Combination, Recognized Identifiable Assets Acquired and Liabilities Assumed, Current Liabilities	'	'	'	'	'	218,920,000	'	'
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	'	'	'	'	'	734,765,000	'	'
Business combination, liabilities held for sale	'	'	'	'	'	243,955,000	'	'
Business Combination, Recognized Identifiable Assets Acquired and Liabilities Assumed, Deferred Tax Liabilities Noncurrent	'	'	'	'	'	56,946,000	'	'
Business Combination, Recognized Identifiable Assets Acquired and Liabilities Assumed, Noncurrent Liabilities, Other	'	'	'	'	'	287,562,000	'	'
Business Combination, Recognized Identifiable Assets Acquired and Liabilities Assumed, Liabilities	'	'	'	'	'	1,812,816,000	'	'
Business combination, noncontrolling interest	'	'	'	'	'	118,000	'	'
Business Combination, Recognized Identifiable Assets Acquired and Liabilities Assumed, Net	'	'	'	'	'	1,165,355,000	'	'
Change in estimated valued of acquired cemetery property	'	-13,774,000	'	'	'	'	'	'
Change in estimated valued of acquired property and equipment, net	'	19,000,000	'	'	'	'	'	'
Change in estimated value of preneed funeral and cemetery receivables and trust investments	'	-6,528,000	'	'	'	'	'	'
Change in estimated valued of acquired finite lived intangible assets	'	-34,340,000	'	'	'	'	'	'
Change in estimated valued of assets held for sale	'	90,045,000	'	'	'	'	'	'
Change in value of deferred charges and other assets	'	-13,222,000	'	'	'	'	'	'
Change in the estimated fair value of acquired deferred preneed funeral and cemetery revenues and deferred receipts held in trust	'	48,093,000	'	'	'	'	'	'
Change in value of acquired assets and liabilities held for sale	'	-90,318,000	'	'	'	'	'	'
Change in estimated value of deferred income taxes	'	43,223,000	'	'	'	'	'	'
Other changes in the estimated fair value of acquired assets and liabilities, net	'	-9,444,000	'	'	'	'	'	'
Total adjustment to the estimated amount of goodwill in a business combination	'	32,735,000	'	'	'	'	'	'
Business Combination, Recognized Identifiable Assets Acquired, Goodwill, and Liabilities Assumed, Net	'	'	'	'	'	545,843,000	'	'
Business Acquisition, Goodwill, Expected Tax Deductible Amount	'	2,300,000	'	'	'	'	'	'
Business Combination, Recognized Identifiable Assets Acquired and Liabilities Assumed, Intangible Assets, Other than Goodwill	'	151,338,000	'	'	'	'	'	'
Business Acquisition, Pro Forma Revenue	697,723,000	'	2,166,050,000	'	'	'	'	'
Business Acquisition, Pro Forma Net Income (Loss)	25,691,000	'	126,241,000	'	'	'	'	'
Business Acquisition, Percentage of Voting Interests Acquired	'	'	'	'	10.00%	'	20.00%	70.00%
Business Combination, Step Acquisition, Equity Interest in Acquiree, Including Subsequent Acquisition, Percentage	'	'	'	'	'	'	90.00%	'
Stewart	'	'	'	'	'	'	'	'
Finite-Lived Customer Relationships, Gross	'	28,500,000	'	'	'	'	'	'
Finite-Lived Customer Lists, Gross	'	16,764,000	'	'	'	'	'	'
Finite-Lived Contractual Rights, Gross	'	5,900,000	'	'	'	'	'	'
Finite-Lived Noncompete Agreements, Gross	'	5,480,000	'	'	'	'	'	'
Finite-Lived Intangible Asset, Off-market Lease, Favorable, Gross	'	6,144,000	'	'	'	'	'	'
Finite-Lived Trade Names, Gross	'	9,150,000	'	'	'	'	'	'
Indefinite-Lived Trade Names	'	77,900,000	'	'	'	'	'	'
Indefinite-Lived License Agreements	'	1,500,000	'	'	'	'	'	'
Funeral | Stewart	'	'	'	'	'	'	'	'
Goodwill, Acquired During Period	'	300,200,000	'	'	'	'	'	'
Cemetery | Stewart	'	'	'	'	'	'	'	'
Goodwill, Acquired During Period	'	$245,600,000	'	'	'	'	'	'
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		9 Months Ended
	Sep. 30, 2014	Sep. 30, 2013	Sep. 30, 2014	Sep. 30, 2013	Dec. 31, 2013
Divestiture-Related Activities [Abstract]	'	'	'	'	'
Disposal Group, Not Discontinued Operation, Gain (Loss) on Disposal	$26,889,000	$981,000	$64,753,000	($3,619,000)	'
Disposal Group, Not Discontinued Operation, Loss (Gain) on Write-down	-319,000	0	-6,001,000	-1,914,000	'
Losses (gains) on divestitures and impairment charges, net	26,570,000	981,000	58,752,000	-5,533,000	'
Disposal Group, Held for Sale, Assets, Current	436,000	'	436,000	'	4,569,000
Preneed funeral and cemetery receivables and trust investments, held for sale	84,484,000	'	84,484,000	'	346,241,000
Cemetery property, held for sale	9,158,000	'	9,158,000	'	88,131,000
Disposal Group, Including Discontinued Operation, Property, Plant and Equipment	10,013,000	'	10,013,000	'	67,394,000
Goodwill, held for sale	10,899,000	'	10,899,000	'	206,117,000
Deferred charges and other assets, held for sale	200,000	'	200,000	'	32,989,000
Cemetery perpetual care trust investments, held for sale	22,143,000	'	22,143,000	'	86,726,000
Assets Held-for-sale, at Carrying Value	137,333,000	'	137,333,000	'	832,167,000
Liabilities of Assets Held-for-sale, Current	441,000	'	441,000	'	3,183,000
Deferred preneed funeral and cemetery revenues and deferred receipts held in trusts, held for sale	119,120,000	'	119,120,000	'	427,436,000
Care trusts' corpus, held for sale	22,143,000	'	22,143,000	'	86,726,000
Other long-term liabilities, held for sale	227,000	'	227,000	'	4,209,000
Total liabilities, held for sale	141,931,000	'	141,931,000	'	521,554,000
Net assets held for sale	-4,598,000	'	-4,598,000	'	310,613,000
Proceeds from Divestiture of Businesses	5,600,000	'	'	'	'
Assets Held-for-sale, Property, Plant and Equipment	'	'	'	'	116,000
Deferred charges and other assets, held for sale	'	'	'	'	2,375,000
Assets Held-for-sale, at Carrying Value	'	'	'	'	7,241,000
Liabilities of Assets Held-for-sale, Current	0	'	0	'	4,728,000
Deferred preneed funeral and cemetery revenues and deferred receipts held in trusts, held for sale	'	'	'	'	938,000
Other long-term liabilities, held for sale	'	'	'	'	30,000
Total liabilities, held for sale	'	'	'	'	5,696,000
Net assets of discontinued operations	'	'	'	'	1,545,000
Disposal Group, Including Discontinued Operation, Revenue	0	1,361,000	1,614,000	4,569,000	'
Disposal Group, Including Discontinued Operation, Costs and Expenses	0	-1,111,000	1,560,000	3,934,000	'
Gain (Loss) on Disposition of Business	884,000	0	884,000	0	'
Disposal Group, Including Discontinued Operation, Other Expense	0	-1,000	-2,000	-4,000	'
Discontinued Operation, Income (Loss) from Discontinued Operation, before Income Tax	884,000	249,000	936,000	631,000	'
Disposal Group, Including Discontinued Operation, Provision for Income Tax	0	-81,000	-90,000	-190,000	'
Income (Loss) from Discontinued Operations, Net of Tax, Including Portion Attributable to Noncontrolling Interest	($884,000)	($168,000)	$846,000	$441,000	'