Major goods or services lines - at need Late fees Finite-Lived Intangible Assets, Amortization Expense, Year Four Finite-Lived Intangible Assets, Amortization Expense, Remainder of Fiscal Year Impaired fixed maturity securities, held to maturity Represents the monetary amount of ImpairedFixedMaturitySecuritiesHeldToMaturity, as of the indicated date. Assets, Fair Value Disclosure Assets accounted for at fair value on a recurring basis Available options for future grant Represents the monetary amount of Available options for future grant, during the indicated time period. Shares Exercised Represents the Shares Exercised (number of shares), during the indicated time period. Shares Granted Represents the Shares Granted (number of shares), during the indicated time period. Interest and Other Income Financing Receivable, Individually Evaluated for Impairment Financing Receivable, Individually Evaluated for Impairment Other than Temporary Impairments Represents the monetary amount of OtherThanTemporaryImpairments, during the indicated time period. Other Assets {1} Other Assets USTreasurySecurities1Member Schedule of Opening and Closing Balances of Receivables, Contract Assets and Contract Liabilities Represents the textual narrative disclosure of Schedule of Opening and Closing Balances of Receivables, Contract Assets and Contract Liabilities, during the indicated time period. 12) Mortgage Servicing Rights 11) Reinsurance, Commitments and Contingencies 9) Allowance For Doubtful Accounts and Loan Losses and Impaired Loans 7) Business Segments Cash paid (received) during the year for: Sale of treasury stock Gains on investments and other assets Revenues: Cemetery land and improvements Loans held for sale at estimated fair value Represents the monetary amount of Loans held for sale at estimated fair value, as of the indicated date. Total investments Equity securities at estimated fair value Entity Filer Category Revenues from External Customers Represents the monetary amount of Revenues from External Customers, during the indicated time period. Discount Rate Amortization {1} Amortization Represents the monetary amount of Amortization, as of the indicated date. Call Options FuturePolicyBenefitsAnnuitiesMember Mortgage Loans on Real Estate Fair Value, Transfer to mortgage loans held for investment Represents the monetary amount of Fair Value, Transfer to mortgage loans held for investment, during the indicated time period. Mortgage Unrealized gain - Loans Held for Sale Represents the monetary amount of UnrealizedGainLoansHeldForSale, as of the indicated date. TotalResidentialMortgageMember Allowance for credit losses, Charge-offs Allowance for credit losses, Charge-offs Represents the monetary amount of AllowanceForCreditLossesChargeOffs, during the indicated time period. New Mexico Net realized loss related to sales of securities Represents the monetary amount of Net realized loss related to sales of securities, during the indicated time period. Mortgage loans on real estate and construction, allowance for losses Mortgage loans on real estate and construction, allowance for losses Represents the monetary amount of Mortgage loans on real estate and construction, allowance for losses, as of the indicated date. Mortgage loans on real estate and construction, unamortized deferred loan fees, net Mortgage loans on real estate and construction, unamortized deferred loan fees, net Represents the monetary amount of MortgageLoansOnRealEstateAndConstructionUnamortizedDeferredLoanFeesNet, as of the indicated date. Schedule of Finite-Lived Intangible Assets, Future Amortization Expense, Mortgage Servicing Rights Accounting Policy Investment contract withdrawals Investment contract withdrawals Net changes in perpetual care trusts Net changes in perpetual care trusts Represents the monetary amount of Net changes in perpetual care trusts, during the indicated time period. Sales of equity securities Equity Component Statements of Stockholders' Equity Unrealized gains on equity securities Total benefits and expenses Total benefits and expenses Receivable from reinsurers Represents the monetary amount of Receivable from reinsurers, as of the indicated date. Real estate held for investment (net of accumulated depreciation of $15,540,213 and $18,788,869 for 2018 and 2017) Major goods or services lines - pre need Products and Services Finite-Lived Intangible Assets, Amortization Expense, Year Two Estimated fair value of MSRs at end of period Represents the monetary amount of Estimated fair value of MSRs at end of period, as of the indicated date. Application of valuation allowance to write down MSRs with other than temporary impairment Represents the monetary amount of Application of valuation allowance to write down MSRs with other than temporary impairment, as of the indicated date. Carrying Value Represents the monetary amount of CarryingValue, as of the indicated date. BankAndOtherLoansPayableMember Liabilities accounted for at fair value on a recurring basis Fair Value, Inputs, Level 1 Loan loss reserve, Charge-offs Loan loss reserve, Charge-offs Represents the monetary amount of LoanLossReserveChargeOffs, during the indicated time period. Mortgage Loans Principal Amount due Represents the monetary amount of MortgageLoansPrincipalAmountDue, as of the indicated date. LoansHeldForSaleMember Investment Type [Axis] Restricted Assets More than 12 months AmortizedCost Schedule of Other Revenues Held-to-maturity Securities {2} Held-to-maturity Securities New Accounting Pronouncements, Policy 2) Recent Accounting Pronouncements Benefit plans funded with treasury stock Accrued real estate construction costs and retainage Represents the monetary amount of Accrued real estate construction costs and retainage, during the indicated time period. Net change in warehouse line borrowings Net change in warehouse line borrowings Cash flows from financing activities: Net cash provided by operating activities Net cash provided by operating activities Net earnings per Class A Equivalent common share (1) Other expenses Net mortuary and cemetery sales Bank and other loans payable Mortgage loans held for investment (net of allowances for loan losses of $1,696,371 and $1,768,796 for 2018 and 2017) Class B Common Stock Document Period End Date Products and Services [Axis] Commitments to fund new residential construction loans Represents the monetary amount of CommitmentsToFundNewResidentialConstructionLoans, as of the indicated date. Gain (Loss) on Derivatives, Loan Commitments Represents the monetary amount of GainLossOnDerivativesLoanCommitments, during the indicated time period. Derivative Liability, Notional Amount MortgageLoansNet1Member Level 3 Inputs [Axis] Cemetery perpetual care trust investments Represents the monetary amount of CemeteryPerpetualCareTrustInvestments1, as of the indicated date. Available-for-sale Securities GrantOfEmployeeStockOptions Represents the monetary amount of GrantOfEmployeeStockOptions, during the indicated time period. Shares, Outstanding Allowance for credit losses, Provision Represents the monetary amount of AllowanceForCreditLossesProvision, during the indicated time period. FixedMaturitySecuritiesHeldToMaturityMember DueIn2017Member Securities on deposit for regulatory authorities Represents the monetary amount of SecuritiesOnDepositForRegulatoryAuthorities, as of the indicated date. AvailableForSaleSecuritiesGrossUnrealizedLosses AvailableForSaleSecuritiesGrossUnrealizedLosses Represents the monetary amount of AvailableForSaleSecuritiesGrossUnrealizedLosses, as of the indicated date. Commercial Loan Residential Mortgage Financial Instrument [Axis] Industrial, miscellaneous and all other equity securities Schedule Of Credit Risk Of Mortgage Loans Based On Performance Status: Represents the textual narrative disclosure of Schedule Of Credit Risk Of Mortgage Loans Based On Performance Status:, during the indicated time period. Schedule of Allowance for loan losses as a contra-asset account Represents the textual narrative disclosure of Schedule of Allowance for loan losses as a contra-asset account, during the indicated time period. 3) Investments Cash flows from investing activities: Depreciation on property and equipment Benefits and expenses: Treasury Stock Preferred Stock Authorized Preferred stock Preferred Stock: Document Fiscal Year Focus Class of Stock [Axis] Income Statement Location Effective Income Tax Rate Reconciliation, Percent Assets, Fair Value Disclosure, Nonrecurring Assets accounted for at fair value on a nonrecurring basis - Mortgage servicing rights Represents the monetary amount of Assets accounted for at fair value on a nonrecurring basis - Mortgage servicing rights, as of the indicated date. Loans Held for Sale Fair Value, Inputs, Level 2 Segment Shares Cancelled Represents the Shares Cancelled (number of shares), during the indicated time period. Total intrinsic value Represents the monetary amount of Total intrinsic value, during the indicated time period. Change in fair value of loans held for sale Represents the monetary amount of ChangeInFairValueOfLoanHeldForSale, during the indicated time period. Past due 90 or more days Aging of Loans [Axis] Financing Receivable, Allowance for Credit Losses, Collectively Evaluated for Impairment Financing Receivable, Allowance for Credit Losses, Collectively Evaluated for Impairment Louisiana Arizona Investment Income, Investment Expense Investment Income, Investment Expense No. of Investment Positions Represents the pure numeric value of NoOfInvestmentPositions, as of the indicated date. Available-for-sale Debt Securities, Gross Unrealized Loss Available-for-sale Securities, Gross Unrealized Gain Common Stock Corporate Debt Securities US States and Political Subdivisions Debt Securities Schedule of Fair Value Measurements, Nonrecurring Schedule of stock inventive plan changes Schedule of Mortgage Fee Income for Loans Held for Sale Represents the textual narrative disclosure of Schedule of Mortgage Fee Income for Loans Held for Sale, during the indicated time period. Change in Cemetery perpetual care trust investments Represents the monetary amount of Cemetery perpetual care trust investments, during the indicated time period. Net earnings per Class A Equivalent common share-assuming dilution (1) Net earnings Surrenders and other policy benefits Represents the monetary amount of Surrenders and other policy benefits, during the indicated time period. Common Stock Outstanding Total liabilities Total liabilities Estimated Fair Value Represents the monetary amount of Estimated Fair Value, as of the indicated date. Fair Value, Originations Represents the monetary amount of Fair Value, Originations, during the indicated time period. Segment Reconciling Items Aggregated intrinsic value of options exercisable Represents the monetary amount of Aggregated intrinsic value of options exercisable, as of the indicated date. Per Share Shares Exercised Represents the per-share monetary value of Per Share Shares Exercised, during the indicated time period. Per Share Shares Granted Represents the per-share monetary value of Per Share Shares Granted, during the indicated time period. Past due 60 to 89 days Kansas Arkansas Schedule of Impaired Mortgage Loans Represents the textual narrative disclosure of Schedule of Impaired Mortgage Loans, during the indicated time period. Notes Interest (net of amount capitalized) Purchase of property and equipment Purchase of property and equipment Purchases of short-term investments Purchases of short-term investments Income tax expense {1} Income tax expense Represents the monetary amount of Income tax expense, during the indicated time period. Fair value of cemetery perpetual care trust investments Represents the monetary amount of Fair value of cemetery perpetual care trust investments, as of the indicated date. Balance Sheet Parenthetical Common stock Future policy benefits and unpaid claims Liabilities {1} Liabilities Liabilities and Stockholders' Equity Deferred policy and pre-need contract acquisition costs Document Type Entity Registrant Name Statement [Line Items] Income Statement Location [Axis] Cemetery perpetual care trust investments 2 Assets accounted for at fair value on a nonrecurring basis - Impaired real estate held for investment Represents the monetary amount of Assets accounted for at fair value on a nonrecurring basis - Impaired real estate held for investment, as of the indicated date. Fair Value, Sales Represents the monetary amount of Fair Value, Sales, during the indicated time period. Derivatives - loan commitments Represents the monetary amount of Derivatives - loan commitments, as of the indicated date. Fair Value, Hierarchy [Axis] Loan loss reserve, Provisions for losses Represents the monetary amount of Loan loss reserve, Provisions for losses, as of the indicated date. Financing Receivable, Allowance for Credit Losses, Individually Evaluated for Impairment Financing Receivable, Allowance for Credit Losses, Individually Evaluated for Impairment California Square Footage Represents the SquareFootage, as of the indicated date. Texas Investment Geographic Region [Axis] Commercial Real Estate 1 PolicyStudentAndOtherLoansMember Allowance for doubtful accounts Represents the monetary amount of Allowance for doubtful accounts, as of the indicated date. Schedule of loan loss reserve which is included in other liabilities and accrued expenses Represents the textual narrative disclosure of Schedule of loan loss reserve which is included in other liabilities and accrued expenses, during the indicated time period. 8): Fair Value of Financial Instruments Proceeds from stock options exercised Proceeds from stock options exercised Purchases of fixed maturity securities Purchases of fixed maturity securities Statement of Cash Flows Balance Balance Balance Other comprehensive income: