Preneed Cemetery Activities Schedule of Unrealized Loss on Investments (Details) - Cemetery - USD ($) $ in Thousands	Sep. 30, 2016	Dec. 31, 2015
Schedule of unrealized loss on investments [Line Items]
Available-for-sale Securities, Continuous Unrealized Loss Position, Less than Twelve Months, Fair Value	$ 166,310	$ 740,693
Available-for-sale Securities, Continuous Unrealized Loss Position, Less than 12 Months, Accumulated Loss	(17,379)	(62,997)
Available-for-sale Securities, Continuous Unrealized Loss Position, Twelve Months or Longer, Fair Value	275,619	176,220
Available-for-sale Securities, Continuous Unrealized Loss Position, 12 Months or Longer, Accumulated Loss	(44,044)	(50,697)
Available-for-sale Securities, Continuous Unrealized Loss Position, Fair Value	441,929	916,913
Available-for-sale Securities, Continuous Unrealized Loss Position, Accumulated Loss	(61,423)	(113,694)
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		52,533
Available-for-sale Securities, Continuous Unrealized Loss Position, Less than 12 Months, Accumulated Loss		(1,435)
Available-for-sale Securities, Continuous Unrealized Loss Position, Twelve Months or Longer, Fair Value		21
Available-for-sale Securities, Continuous Unrealized Loss Position, 12 Months or Longer, Accumulated Loss		(2)
Available-for-sale Securities, Continuous Unrealized Loss Position, Fair Value		52,554
Available-for-sale Securities, Continuous Unrealized Loss Position, Accumulated Loss		(1,437)
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	6	16,039
Available-for-sale Securities, Continuous Unrealized Loss Position, Less than 12 Months, Accumulated Loss	0	(105)
Available-for-sale Securities, Continuous Unrealized Loss Position, Twelve Months or Longer, Fair Value	1,259	841
Available-for-sale Securities, Continuous Unrealized Loss Position, 12 Months or Longer, Accumulated Loss	(54)	(64)
Available-for-sale Securities, Continuous Unrealized Loss Position, Fair Value	1,265	16,880
Available-for-sale Securities, Continuous Unrealized Loss Position, Accumulated Loss	(54)	(169)
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	866	1,754
Available-for-sale Securities, Continuous Unrealized Loss Position, Less than 12 Months, Accumulated Loss	(11)	(22)
Available-for-sale Securities, Continuous Unrealized Loss Position, Twelve Months or Longer, Fair Value	776	2,347
Available-for-sale Securities, Continuous Unrealized Loss Position, 12 Months or Longer, Accumulated Loss	(29)	(96)
Available-for-sale Securities, Continuous Unrealized Loss Position, Fair Value	1,642	4,101
Available-for-sale Securities, Continuous Unrealized Loss Position, Accumulated Loss	(40)	(118)
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		42
Available-for-sale Securities, Continuous Unrealized Loss Position, Less than 12 Months, Accumulated Loss		(1)
Available-for-sale Securities, Continuous Unrealized Loss Position, Twelve Months or Longer, Fair Value		18
Available-for-sale Securities, Continuous Unrealized Loss Position, 12 Months or Longer, Accumulated Loss		(2)
Available-for-sale Securities, Continuous Unrealized Loss Position, Fair Value		60
Available-for-sale Securities, Continuous Unrealized Loss Position, Accumulated Loss		(3)
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	130,167	198,843
Available-for-sale Securities, Continuous Unrealized Loss Position, Less than 12 Months, Accumulated Loss	(14,779)	(26,038)
Available-for-sale Securities, Continuous Unrealized Loss Position, Twelve Months or Longer, Fair Value	40,411	21,355
Available-for-sale Securities, Continuous Unrealized Loss Position, 12 Months or Longer, Accumulated Loss	(8,199)	(5,999)
Available-for-sale Securities, Continuous Unrealized Loss Position, Fair Value	170,578	220,198
Available-for-sale Securities, Continuous Unrealized Loss Position, Accumulated Loss	(22,978)	(32,037)
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	0	470
Available-for-sale Securities, Continuous Unrealized Loss Position, Less than 12 Months, Accumulated Loss	0	(6)
Available-for-sale Securities, Continuous Unrealized Loss Position, Twelve Months or Longer, Fair Value	747	1,430
Available-for-sale Securities, Continuous Unrealized Loss Position, 12 Months or Longer, Accumulated Loss	(145)	(885)
Available-for-sale Securities, Continuous Unrealized Loss Position, Fair Value	747	1,900
Available-for-sale Securities, Continuous Unrealized Loss Position, Accumulated Loss	(145)	(891)
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	12,357	15,567
Available-for-sale Securities, Continuous Unrealized Loss Position, Less than 12 Months, Accumulated Loss	(1,839)	(2,507)
Available-for-sale Securities, Continuous Unrealized Loss Position, Twelve Months or Longer, Fair Value	8,629	9,412
Available-for-sale Securities, Continuous Unrealized Loss Position, 12 Months or Longer, Accumulated Loss	(2,289)	(3,292)
Available-for-sale Securities, Continuous Unrealized Loss Position, Fair Value	20,986	24,979
Available-for-sale Securities, Continuous Unrealized Loss Position, Accumulated Loss	(4,128)	(5,799)
Equity Funds
Schedule of unrealized loss on investments [Line Items]
Available-for-sale Securities, Continuous Unrealized Loss Position, Less than Twelve Months, Fair Value	10,414	207,349
Available-for-sale Securities, Continuous Unrealized Loss Position, Less than 12 Months, Accumulated Loss	(452)	(25,991)
Available-for-sale Securities, Continuous Unrealized Loss Position, Twelve Months or Longer, Fair Value	165,722	86,720
Available-for-sale Securities, Continuous Unrealized Loss Position, 12 Months or Longer, Accumulated Loss	(20,741)	(23,651)
Available-for-sale Securities, Continuous Unrealized Loss Position, Fair Value	176,136	294,069
Available-for-sale Securities, Continuous Unrealized Loss Position, Accumulated Loss	(21,193)	(49,642)
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	12,430	139,749
Available-for-sale Securities, Continuous Unrealized Loss Position, Less than 12 Months, Accumulated Loss	(171)	(6,322)
Available-for-sale Securities, Continuous Unrealized Loss Position, Twelve Months or Longer, Fair Value	44,609	44,550
Available-for-sale Securities, Continuous Unrealized Loss Position, 12 Months or Longer, Accumulated Loss	(10,506)	(12,204)
Available-for-sale Securities, Continuous Unrealized Loss Position, Fair Value	57,039	184,299
Available-for-sale Securities, Continuous Unrealized Loss Position, Accumulated Loss	(10,677)	(18,526)
Other Investments
Schedule of unrealized loss on investments [Line Items]
Available-for-sale Securities, Continuous Unrealized Loss Position, Less than Twelve Months, Fair Value	34
Available-for-sale Securities, Continuous Unrealized Loss Position, Less than 12 Months, Accumulated Loss	(126)
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, Accumulated Loss	0
Available-for-sale Securities, Continuous Unrealized Loss Position, Fair Value	34
Available-for-sale Securities, Continuous Unrealized Loss Position, Accumulated Loss	(126)
Estimate of Fair Value Measurement [Member]
Schedule of unrealized loss on investments [Line Items]
Available-for-sale Securities, Continuous Unrealized Loss Position, Less than Twelve Months, Fair Value	166,274	632,346
Available-for-sale Securities, Continuous Unrealized Loss Position, Less than 12 Months, Accumulated Loss	(17,378)	(62,427)
Available-for-sale Securities, Continuous Unrealized Loss Position, Twelve Months or Longer, Fair Value	262,153	166,694
Available-for-sale Securities, Continuous Unrealized Loss Position, 12 Months or Longer, Accumulated Loss	(41,963)	(46,195)
Available-for-sale Securities, Continuous Unrealized Loss Position, Fair Value	428,427	799,040
Available-for-sale Securities, Continuous Unrealized Loss Position, Accumulated Loss	(59,341)	(108,622)
Reported at net asset value
Schedule of unrealized loss on investments [Line Items]
Available-for-sale Securities, Continuous Unrealized Loss Position, Less than Twelve Months, Fair Value	36	108,347
Available-for-sale Securities, Continuous Unrealized Loss Position, Less than 12 Months, Accumulated Loss	(1)	(570)
Available-for-sale Securities, Continuous Unrealized Loss Position, Twelve Months or Longer, Fair Value	13,466	9,526
Available-for-sale Securities, Continuous Unrealized Loss Position, 12 Months or Longer, Accumulated Loss	(2,081)	(4,502)
Available-for-sale Securities, Continuous Unrealized Loss Position, Fair Value	13,502	117,873
Available-for-sale Securities, Continuous Unrealized Loss Position, Accumulated Loss	(2,082)	(5,072)
Reported at net asset value | 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	36	0
Available-for-sale Securities, Continuous Unrealized Loss Position, Less than 12 Months, Accumulated Loss	(1)	0
Available-for-sale Securities, Continuous Unrealized Loss Position, Twelve Months or Longer, Fair Value	13,466	9,526
Available-for-sale Securities, Continuous Unrealized Loss Position, 12 Months or Longer, Accumulated Loss	(2,081)	(4,502)
Available-for-sale Securities, Continuous Unrealized Loss Position, Fair Value	13,502	9,526
Available-for-sale Securities, Continuous Unrealized Loss Position, Accumulated Loss	$ (2,082)	(4,502)
Reported at net asset value | Fixed Income Commingled funds [Member]
Schedule of unrealized loss on investments [Line Items]
Available-for-sale Securities, Continuous Unrealized Loss Position, Less than Twelve Months, Fair Value		108,347
Available-for-sale Securities, Continuous Unrealized Loss Position, Less than 12 Months, Accumulated Loss		(570)
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, Accumulated Loss		0
Available-for-sale Securities, Continuous Unrealized Loss Position, Fair Value		108,347
Available-for-sale Securities, Continuous Unrealized Loss Position, Accumulated Loss		$ (570)