Preneed Trust Investments (Cost and fair market values associated with preneed funeral trust investments) (Details) (USD $)	3 Months Ended
	Jun. 30, 2014	Dec. 31, 2013
Schedule of Trading Securities and Other Trading Assets [Line Items]
Impairment charge, other than temporary decline in fair value of investments	$ 382,755
Preneed Cemetery Trust Investments [Member]
Schedule of Trading Securities and Other Trading Assets [Line Items]
Cost	71,466,000	68,145,000
Unrealized Gains	6,806,000	3,072,000
Available-for-sale Securities, Gross Unrealized Loss1	(1,260,000)	(1,693,000)
Fair Market Value	77,012,000	69,524,000
Preneed cemetery trust investments	77,790,000	70,386,000
Fair market value as a percentage of cost	107.80%	102.00%
Impairment charge, other than temporary decline in fair value of investments	200,000
Preneed Cemetery Trust Investments [Member] \| Cash and Money Market Accounts [Member]
Schedule of Trading Securities and Other Trading Assets [Line Items]
Cost	2,342,000	1,541,000
Unrealized Gains	0	0
Available-for-sale Securities, Gross Unrealized Loss1	0	0
Preneed Cemetery Trust Investments [Member] \| Cash and Money Market Accounts [Member] \| Fair Value, Inputs, Level 1 [Member]
Schedule of Trading Securities and Other Trading Assets [Line Items]
Fair Market Value	2,342,000	1,541,000
Preneed Cemetery Trust Investments [Member] \| Foreign Government Debt Securities [Member]
Schedule of Trading Securities and Other Trading Assets [Line Items]
Cost	4,835,000	3,460,000
Unrealized Gains	227,000	146,000
Available-for-sale Securities, Gross Unrealized Loss1	0	(3,000)
Preneed Cemetery Trust Investments [Member] \| Foreign Government Debt Securities [Member] \| Fair Value, Inputs, Level 2 [Member]
Schedule of Trading Securities and Other Trading Assets [Line Items]
Fair Market Value	5,062,000	3,603,000
Preneed Cemetery Trust Investments [Member] \| Corporate Debt [Member]
Schedule of Trading Securities and Other Trading Assets [Line Items]
Cost	30,451,000	32,958,000
Unrealized Gains	906,000	386,000
Available-for-sale Securities, Gross Unrealized Loss1	(919,000)	(1,150,000)
Preneed Cemetery Trust Investments [Member] \| Corporate Debt [Member] \| Fair Value, Inputs, Level 2 [Member]
Schedule of Trading Securities and Other Trading Assets [Line Items]
Fair Market Value	30,438,000	32,194,000
Preneed Cemetery Trust Investments [Member] \| Preferred Stock [Member]
Schedule of Trading Securities and Other Trading Assets [Line Items]
Cost	18,271,000	17,754,000
Unrealized Gains	916,000	178,000
Available-for-sale Securities, Gross Unrealized Loss1	(87,000)	(273,000)
Preneed Cemetery Trust Investments [Member] \| Preferred Stock [Member] \| Fair Value, Inputs, Level 2 [Member]
Schedule of Trading Securities and Other Trading Assets [Line Items]
Fair Market Value	19,100,000	17,659,000
Preneed Cemetery Trust Investments [Member] \| Mortgage Backed Securities [Member]
Schedule of Trading Securities and Other Trading Assets [Line Items]
Cost	1,000	1,000
Unrealized Gains	0	0
Available-for-sale Securities, Gross Unrealized Loss1	0	0
Preneed Cemetery Trust Investments [Member] \| Mortgage Backed Securities [Member] \| Fair Value, Inputs, Level 2 [Member]
Schedule of Trading Securities and Other Trading Assets [Line Items]
Fair Market Value	1,000	1,000
Preneed Cemetery Trust Investments [Member] \| Common Stock
Schedule of Trading Securities and Other Trading Assets [Line Items]
Cost	15,566,000	12,431,000
Unrealized Gains	4,757,000	2,362,000
Available-for-sale Securities, Gross Unrealized Loss1	(254,000)	(267,000)
Preneed Cemetery Trust Investments [Member] \| Common Stock \| Fair Value, Inputs, Level 1 [Member]
Schedule of Trading Securities and Other Trading Assets [Line Items]
Fair Market Value	20,069,000	14,526,000
Preneed Cemetery Trust Investments [Member] \| Accrued Investment Income [Member]
Schedule of Trading Securities and Other Trading Assets [Line Items]
Cost	778,000	862,000
Fair Market Value	778,000	862,000
Preneed Funeral Trust Investments [Member]
Schedule of Trading Securities and Other Trading Assets [Line Items]
Cost	96,322,000	95,367,000
Unrealized Gains	7,427,000	5,725,000
Available-for-sale Securities, Gross Unrealized Loss1	(1,147,000)	(1,766,000)
Fair Market Value	102,602,000	99,326,000
Preneed cemetery trust investments	103,237,000	100,005,000
Fair market value as a percentage of cost	106.50%	104.20%
Impairment charge, other than temporary decline in fair value of investments	100,000
Preneed Funeral Trust Investments [Member] \| Cash and Money Market Accounts [Member]
Schedule of Trading Securities and Other Trading Assets [Line Items]
Cost	13,967,000	14,631,000
Unrealized Gains	0	0
Available-for-sale Securities, Gross Unrealized Loss1	0	0
Preneed Funeral Trust Investments [Member] \| Cash and Money Market Accounts [Member] \| Fair Value, Inputs, Level 1 [Member]
Schedule of Trading Securities and Other Trading Assets [Line Items]
Fair Market Value	13,967,000	14,631,000
Preneed Funeral Trust Investments [Member] \| U.S. Treasury Debt [Member]
Schedule of Trading Securities and Other Trading Assets [Line Items]
Cost	2,605,000	2,212,000
Unrealized Gains	39,000	47,000
Available-for-sale Securities, Gross Unrealized Loss1	(28,000)	(54,000)
Preneed Funeral Trust Investments [Member] \| U.S. Treasury Debt [Member] \| Fair Value, Inputs, Level 1 [Member]
Schedule of Trading Securities and Other Trading Assets [Line Items]
Fair Market Value	2,616,000	2,205,000
Preneed Funeral Trust Investments [Member] \| U.S. Agency Obligations [Member]
Schedule of Trading Securities and Other Trading Assets [Line Items]
Cost	31,000	401,000
Unrealized Gains	0	8,000
Available-for-sale Securities, Gross Unrealized Loss1	0	(7,000)
Preneed Funeral Trust Investments [Member] \| U.S. Agency Obligations [Member] \| Fair Value, Inputs, Level 1 [Member]
Schedule of Trading Securities and Other Trading Assets [Line Items]
Fair Market Value	31,000	402,000
Preneed Funeral Trust Investments [Member] \| Foreign Government Debt Securities [Member]
Schedule of Trading Securities and Other Trading Assets [Line Items]
Cost	3,886,000	2,726,000
Unrealized Gains	182,000	115,000
Available-for-sale Securities, Gross Unrealized Loss1	0	(2,000)
Preneed Funeral Trust Investments [Member] \| Foreign Government Debt Securities [Member] \| Fair Value, Inputs, Level 2 [Member]
Schedule of Trading Securities and Other Trading Assets [Line Items]
Fair Market Value	4,068,000	2,839,000
Preneed Funeral Trust Investments [Member] \| Corporate Debt [Member]
Schedule of Trading Securities and Other Trading Assets [Line Items]
Cost	25,165,000	27,993,000
Unrealized Gains	898,000	375,000
Available-for-sale Securities, Gross Unrealized Loss1	(741,000)	(957,000)
Preneed Funeral Trust Investments [Member] \| Corporate Debt [Member] \| Fair Value, Inputs, Level 2 [Member]
Schedule of Trading Securities and Other Trading Assets [Line Items]
Fair Market Value	25,322,000	27,411,000
Preneed Funeral Trust Investments [Member] \| Preferred Stock [Member]
Schedule of Trading Securities and Other Trading Assets [Line Items]
Cost	15,561,000	15,949,000
Unrealized Gains	832,000	292,000
Available-for-sale Securities, Gross Unrealized Loss1	(70,000)	(282,000)
Preneed Funeral Trust Investments [Member] \| Preferred Stock [Member] \| Fair Value, Inputs, Level 2 [Member]
Schedule of Trading Securities and Other Trading Assets [Line Items]
Fair Market Value	16,323,000	15,959,000
Preneed Funeral Trust Investments [Member] \| Mortgage Backed Securities [Member]
Schedule of Trading Securities and Other Trading Assets [Line Items]
Cost	342,000	1,000
Unrealized Gains	11,000	0
Available-for-sale Securities, Gross Unrealized Loss1	(4,000)	0
Preneed Funeral Trust Investments [Member] \| Mortgage Backed Securities [Member] \| Fair Value, Inputs, Level 2 [Member]
Schedule of Trading Securities and Other Trading Assets [Line Items]
Fair Market Value	349,000	1,000
Preneed Funeral Trust Investments [Member] \| Common Stock
Schedule of Trading Securities and Other Trading Assets [Line Items]
Cost	12,737,000	10,681,000
Unrealized Gains	3,903,000	2,092,000
Available-for-sale Securities, Gross Unrealized Loss1	(210,000)	(237,000)
Preneed Funeral Trust Investments [Member] \| Common Stock \| Fair Value, Inputs, Level 1 [Member]
Schedule of Trading Securities and Other Trading Assets [Line Items]
Fair Market Value	16,430,000	12,536,000
Preneed Funeral Trust Investments [Member] \| Equity [Member]
Schedule of Trading Securities and Other Trading Assets [Line Items]
Cost	13,858,000	11,632,000
Unrealized Gains	1,378,000	2,708,000
Available-for-sale Securities, Gross Unrealized Loss1	(1,000)	(22,000)
Preneed Funeral Trust Investments [Member] \| Equity [Member] \| Fair Value, Inputs, Level 1 [Member]
Schedule of Trading Securities and Other Trading Assets [Line Items]
Fair Market Value	15,235,000	14,318,000
Preneed Funeral Trust Investments [Member] \| Fixed Income [Member]
Schedule of Trading Securities and Other Trading Assets [Line Items]
Cost	5,332,000	5,455,000
Unrealized Gains	184,000	88,000
Available-for-sale Securities, Gross Unrealized Loss1	(64,000)	(179,000)
Preneed Funeral Trust Investments [Member] \| Fixed Income [Member] \| Fair Value, Inputs, Level 2 [Member]
Schedule of Trading Securities and Other Trading Assets [Line Items]
Fair Market Value	5,452,000	5,364,000
Preneed Funeral Trust Investments [Member] \| Other Investments [Member]
Schedule of Trading Securities and Other Trading Assets [Line Items]
Cost	2,838,000	3,686,000
Unrealized Gains	0	0
Available-for-sale Securities, Gross Unrealized Loss1	(29,000)	(26,000)
Preneed Funeral Trust Investments [Member] \| Other Investments [Member] \| Fair Value, Inputs, Level 2 [Member]
Schedule of Trading Securities and Other Trading Assets [Line Items]
Fair Market Value	2,809,000	3,660,000
Preneed Funeral Trust Investments [Member] \| Accrued Investment Income [Member]
Schedule of Trading Securities and Other Trading Assets [Line Items]
Cost	635,000	679,000
Fair Market Value	$ 635,000	$ 679,000