Preneed Funeral Activities Schedule of Unrealized Loss on Investments (Details) (Funeral [Member], USD $) In Thousands	Jun. 30, 2011	Dec. 31, 2010
Schedule of unrealized loss on investments [Line Items]
Available-for-sale Securities, Continuous Unrealized Loss Position, Less than Twelve Months, Fair Value	$ 198,691	$ 84,655
Available-for-sale Securities, Continuous Unrealized Loss Position, Less than 12 Months, Aggregate Losses	(12,598)	(5,235)
Available-for-sale Securities, Continuous Unrealized Loss Position, Twelve Months or Longer, Fair Value	119,960	108,789
Available-for-sale Securities, Continuous Unrealized Loss Position, 12 Months or Longer, Aggregate Losses	(42,634)	(48,290)
Available-for-sale Securities, Continuous Unrealized Loss Position, Fair Value	318,651	193,444
Available-for-sale Securities, Continuous Unrealized Loss Position, Aggregate Losses	(55,232)	(53,525)
Canada Common Stock Securities [Member]
Schedule of unrealized loss on investments [Line Items]
Available-for-sale Securities, Continuous Unrealized Loss Position, Less than Twelve Months, Fair Value	1,864	4,493
Available-for-sale Securities, Continuous Unrealized Loss Position, Less than 12 Months, Aggregate Losses	(339)	(324)
Available-for-sale Securities, Continuous Unrealized Loss Position, Twelve Months or Longer, Fair Value	975	1,361
Available-for-sale Securities, Continuous Unrealized Loss Position, 12 Months or Longer, Aggregate Losses	(298)	(474)
Available-for-sale Securities, Continuous Unrealized Loss Position, Fair Value	2,839	5,854
Available-for-sale Securities, Continuous Unrealized Loss Position, Aggregate Losses	(637)	(798)
Other International Common Stock Securities [Member]
Schedule of unrealized loss on investments [Line Items]
Available-for-sale Securities, Continuous Unrealized Loss Position, Less than Twelve Months, Fair Value	4,066	5,251
Available-for-sale Securities, Continuous Unrealized Loss Position, Less than 12 Months, Aggregate Losses	(315)	(862)
Available-for-sale Securities, Continuous Unrealized Loss Position, Twelve Months or Longer, Fair Value	3,339	3,446
Available-for-sale Securities, Continuous Unrealized Loss Position, 12 Months or Longer, Aggregate Losses	(849)	(1,468)
Available-for-sale Securities, Continuous Unrealized Loss Position, Fair Value	7,405	8,697
Available-for-sale Securities, Continuous Unrealized Loss Position, Aggregate Losses	(1,164)	(2,330)
Equity Funds [Member]
Schedule of unrealized loss on investments [Line Items]
Available-for-sale Securities, Continuous Unrealized Loss Position, Less than Twelve Months, Fair Value	27,627	3,778
Available-for-sale Securities, Continuous Unrealized Loss Position, Less than 12 Months, Aggregate Losses	(631)	(110)
Available-for-sale Securities, Continuous Unrealized Loss Position, Twelve Months or Longer, Fair Value	57,458	61,844
Available-for-sale Securities, Continuous Unrealized Loss Position, 12 Months or Longer, Aggregate Losses	(15,640)	(18,179)
Available-for-sale Securities, Continuous Unrealized Loss Position, Fair Value	85,085	65,622
Available-for-sale Securities, Continuous Unrealized Loss Position, Aggregate Losses	(16,271)	(18,289)
Fixed Income Funds [Member]
Schedule of unrealized loss on investments [Line Items]
Available-for-sale Securities, Continuous Unrealized Loss Position, Less than Twelve Months, Fair Value	66,063	9,630
Available-for-sale Securities, Continuous Unrealized Loss Position, Less than 12 Months, Aggregate Losses	(864)	(156)
Available-for-sale Securities, Continuous Unrealized Loss Position, Twelve Months or Longer, Fair Value	13,357	8,818
Available-for-sale Securities, Continuous Unrealized Loss Position, 12 Months or Longer, Aggregate Losses	(5,821)	(5,472)
Available-for-sale Securities, Continuous Unrealized Loss Position, Fair Value	79,420	18,448
Available-for-sale Securities, Continuous Unrealized Loss Position, Aggregate Losses	(6,685)	(5,628)
US Treasury Securities [Member]
Schedule of unrealized loss on investments [Line Items]
Available-for-sale Securities, Continuous Unrealized Loss Position, Less than Twelve Months, Fair Value	9,558	10,433
Available-for-sale Securities, Continuous Unrealized Loss Position, Less than 12 Months, Aggregate Losses	(79)	(316)
Available-for-sale Securities, Continuous Unrealized Loss Position, Twelve Months or Longer, Fair Value	8,958	393
Available-for-sale Securities, Continuous Unrealized Loss Position, 12 Months or Longer, Aggregate Losses	(277)	(18)
Available-for-sale Securities, Continuous Unrealized Loss Position, Fair Value	18,516	10,826
Available-for-sale Securities, Continuous Unrealized Loss Position, Aggregate Losses	(356)	(334)
Foreign Government Debt Securities [Member]
Schedule of unrealized loss on investments [Line Items]
Available-for-sale Securities, Continuous Unrealized Loss Position, Less than Twelve Months, Fair Value	5,973	1,632
Available-for-sale Securities, Continuous Unrealized Loss Position, Less than 12 Months, Aggregate Losses	(7)	(2)
Available-for-sale Securities, Continuous Unrealized Loss Position, Twelve Months or Longer, Fair Value	113	668
Available-for-sale Securities, Continuous Unrealized Loss Position, 12 Months or Longer, Aggregate Losses	(2)	(18)
Available-for-sale Securities, Continuous Unrealized Loss Position, Fair Value	6,086	2,300
Available-for-sale Securities, Continuous Unrealized Loss Position, Aggregate Losses	(9)	(20)
Corporate Debt Securities [Member]
Schedule of unrealized loss on investments [Line Items]
Available-for-sale Securities, Continuous Unrealized Loss Position, Less than Twelve Months, Fair Value	9,391	5,619
Available-for-sale Securities, Continuous Unrealized Loss Position, Less than 12 Months, Aggregate Losses	(374)	(285)
Available-for-sale Securities, Continuous Unrealized Loss Position, Twelve Months or Longer, Fair Value	1,190	0
Available-for-sale Securities, Continuous Unrealized Loss Position, 12 Months or Longer, Aggregate Losses	(156)	0
Available-for-sale Securities, Continuous Unrealized Loss Position, Fair Value	10,581	5,619
Available-for-sale Securities, Continuous Unrealized Loss Position, Aggregate Losses	(530)	(285)
Private Equity Funds [Member]
Schedule of unrealized loss on investments [Line Items]
Available-for-sale Securities, Continuous Unrealized Loss Position, Less than Twelve Months, Fair Value	1,496	214
Available-for-sale Securities, Continuous Unrealized Loss Position, Less than 12 Months, Aggregate Losses	(1,452)	(71)
Available-for-sale Securities, Continuous Unrealized Loss Position, Twelve Months or Longer, Fair Value	13,043	6,715
Available-for-sale Securities, Continuous Unrealized Loss Position, 12 Months or Longer, Aggregate Losses	(16,674)	(16,819)
Available-for-sale Securities, Continuous Unrealized Loss Position, Fair Value	14,539	6,929
Available-for-sale Securities, Continuous Unrealized Loss Position, Aggregate Losses	(18,126)	(16,890)
Residential Mortgage Backed Securities [Member]
Schedule of unrealized loss on investments [Line Items]
Available-for-sale Securities, Continuous Unrealized Loss Position, Less than Twelve Months, Fair Value	130	836
Available-for-sale Securities, Continuous Unrealized Loss Position, Less than 12 Months, Aggregate Losses	(4)	(9)
Available-for-sale Securities, Continuous Unrealized Loss Position, Twelve Months or Longer, Fair Value	290	263
Available-for-sale Securities, Continuous Unrealized Loss Position, 12 Months or Longer, Aggregate Losses	(21)	(13)
Available-for-sale Securities, Continuous Unrealized Loss Position, Fair Value	420	1,099
Available-for-sale Securities, Continuous Unrealized Loss Position, Aggregate Losses	(25)	(22)
Asset-backed Securities [Member]
Schedule of unrealized loss on investments [Line Items]
Available-for-sale Securities, Continuous Unrealized Loss Position, Less than Twelve Months, Fair Value		225
Available-for-sale Securities, Continuous Unrealized Loss Position, Less than 12 Months, Aggregate Losses		(1)
Available-for-sale Securities, Continuous Unrealized Loss Position, Twelve Months or Longer, Fair Value		53
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		278
Available-for-sale Securities, Continuous Unrealized Loss Position, Aggregate Losses		(2)
Preferred Stock securities [Member]
Schedule of unrealized loss on investments [Line Items]
Available-for-sale Securities, Continuous Unrealized Loss Position, Less than Twelve Months, Fair Value	855	1,045
Available-for-sale Securities, Continuous Unrealized Loss Position, Less than 12 Months, Aggregate Losses	(56)	(78)
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	855	1,045
Available-for-sale Securities, Continuous Unrealized Loss Position, Aggregate Losses	(56)	(78)
US Common Stock Securities [Member]
Schedule of unrealized loss on investments [Line Items]
Available-for-sale Securities, Continuous Unrealized Loss Position, Less than Twelve Months, Fair Value	71,668	41,491
Available-for-sale Securities, Continuous Unrealized Loss Position, Less than 12 Months, Aggregate Losses	(8,477)	(3,019)
Available-for-sale Securities, Continuous Unrealized Loss Position, Twelve Months or Longer, Fair Value	21,237	24,919
Available-for-sale Securities, Continuous Unrealized Loss Position, 12 Months or Longer, Aggregate Losses	(2,896)	(5,372)
Available-for-sale Securities, Continuous Unrealized Loss Position, Fair Value	92,905	66,410
Available-for-sale Securities, Continuous Unrealized Loss Position, Aggregate Losses	(11,373)	(8,391)
Other Investments [Member]
Schedule of unrealized loss on investments [Line Items]
Available-for-sale Securities, Continuous Unrealized Loss Position, Less than Twelve Months, Fair Value		8
Available-for-sale Securities, Continuous Unrealized Loss Position, Less than 12 Months, Aggregate Losses		(2)
Available-for-sale Securities, Continuous Unrealized Loss Position, Twelve Months or Longer, Fair Value		309
Available-for-sale Securities, Continuous Unrealized Loss Position, 12 Months or Longer, Aggregate Losses		(456)
Available-for-sale Securities, Continuous Unrealized Loss Position, Fair Value		317
Available-for-sale Securities, Continuous Unrealized Loss Position, Aggregate Losses		$ (458)