Preneed Trust Investments (Cost and fair market values associated with preneed funeral trust investments) (Details) (USD $)	3 Months Ended
	Sep. 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	73,290,000	68,145,000
Unrealized Gains	4,202,000	3,072,000
Available-for-sale Securities, Gross Unrealized Loss1	(3,237,000)	(1,693,000)
Fair Market Value	74,255,000	69,524,000
Preneed cemetery trust investments	75,271,000	70,386,000
Fair market value as a percentage of cost	101.30%	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	2,428,000	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	2,428,000	1,541,000
Preneed Cemetery Trust Investments [Member] \| Foreign Government Debt Securities [Member]
Schedule of Trading Securities and Other Trading Assets [Line Items]
Cost	4,945,000	3,460,000
Unrealized Gains	91,000	146,000
Available-for-sale Securities, Gross Unrealized Loss1	(102,000)	(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	4,934,000	3,603,000
Preneed Cemetery Trust Investments [Member] \| Corporate Debt [Member]
Schedule of Trading Securities and Other Trading Assets [Line Items]
Cost	30,384,000	32,958,000
Unrealized Gains	433,000	386,000
Available-for-sale Securities, Gross Unrealized Loss1	(1,984,000)	(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	28,833,000	32,194,000
Preneed Cemetery Trust Investments [Member] \| Preferred Stock [Member]
Schedule of Trading Securities and Other Trading Assets [Line Items]
Cost	18,432,000	17,754,000
Unrealized Gains	647,000	178,000
Available-for-sale Securities, Gross Unrealized Loss1	(203,000)	(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	18,876,000	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	16,756,000	12,431,000
Unrealized Gains	3,019,000	2,362,000
Available-for-sale Securities, Gross Unrealized Loss1	(948,000)	(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	18,827,000	14,526,000
Preneed Cemetery Trust Investments [Member] \| Accrued Investment Income [Member]
Schedule of Trading Securities and Other Trading Assets [Line Items]
Cost	1,016,000	862,000
Fair Market Value	1,016,000	862,000
Preneed Funeral Trust Investments [Member]
Schedule of Trading Securities and Other Trading Assets [Line Items]
Cost	98,502,000	95,367,000
Unrealized Gains	5,048,000	5,725,000
Available-for-sale Securities, Gross Unrealized Loss1	(2,894,000)	(1,766,000)
Fair Market Value	100,656,000	99,326,000
Preneed cemetery trust investments	101,480,000	100,005,000
Fair market value as a percentage of cost	102.20%	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	14,018,000	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	14,018,000	14,631,000
Preneed Funeral Trust Investments [Member] \| U.S. Treasury Debt [Member]
Schedule of Trading Securities and Other Trading Assets [Line Items]
Cost	2,602,000	2,212,000
Unrealized Gains	34,000	47,000
Available-for-sale Securities, Gross Unrealized Loss1	(34,000)	(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	2,602,000	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	(1,000)	(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	30,000	402,000
Preneed Funeral Trust Investments [Member] \| Foreign Government Debt Securities [Member]
Schedule of Trading Securities and Other Trading Assets [Line Items]
Cost	3,961,000	2,726,000
Unrealized Gains	73,000	115,000
Available-for-sale Securities, Gross Unrealized Loss1	(82,000)	(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	3,952,000	2,839,000
Preneed Funeral Trust Investments [Member] \| Corporate Debt [Member]
Schedule of Trading Securities and Other Trading Assets [Line Items]
Cost	25,294,000	27,993,000
Unrealized Gains	527,000	375,000
Available-for-sale Securities, Gross Unrealized Loss1	(1,595,000)	(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	24,226,000	27,411,000
Preneed Funeral Trust Investments [Member] \| Preferred Stock [Member]
Schedule of Trading Securities and Other Trading Assets [Line Items]
Cost	15,777,000	15,949,000
Unrealized Gains	588,000	292,000
Available-for-sale Securities, Gross Unrealized Loss1	(163,000)	(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	16,202,000	15,959,000
Preneed Funeral Trust Investments [Member] \| Mortgage Backed Securities [Member]
Schedule of Trading Securities and Other Trading Assets [Line Items]
Cost	323,000	1,000
Unrealized Gains	9,000	0
Available-for-sale Securities, Gross Unrealized Loss1	(3,000)	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	329,000	1,000
Preneed Funeral Trust Investments [Member] \| Common Stock
Schedule of Trading Securities and Other Trading Assets [Line Items]
Cost	13,611,000	10,681,000
Unrealized Gains	2,475,000	2,092,000
Available-for-sale Securities, Gross Unrealized Loss1	(782,000)	(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	15,304,000	12,536,000
Preneed Funeral Trust Investments [Member] \| Equity [Member]
Schedule of Trading Securities and Other Trading Assets [Line Items]
Cost	13,991,000	11,632,000
Unrealized Gains	1,237,000	2,708,000
Available-for-sale Securities, Gross Unrealized Loss1	(118,000)	(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	15,110,000	14,318,000
Preneed Funeral Trust Investments [Member] \| Fixed Income [Member]
Schedule of Trading Securities and Other Trading Assets [Line Items]
Cost	5,280,000	5,455,000
Unrealized Gains	105,000	88,000
Available-for-sale Securities, Gross Unrealized Loss1	(85,000)	(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	5,300,000	5,364,000
Preneed Funeral Trust Investments [Member] \| Other Investments [Member]
Schedule of Trading Securities and Other Trading Assets [Line Items]
Cost	3,614,000	3,686,000
Unrealized Gains	0	0
Available-for-sale Securities, Gross Unrealized Loss1	(31,000)	(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	3,583,000	3,660,000
Preneed Funeral Trust Investments [Member] \| Accrued Investment Income [Member]
Schedule of Trading Securities and Other Trading Assets [Line Items]
Cost	824,000	679,000
Fair Market Value	$ 824,000	$ 679,000