My nitpick would be less about the mention of the name and more about the wording of “when he was”. Of course different trans people will view their transition and identity differently, but I was never <deadname>. I was merely known as <deadname>

I don’t have any answers, but just wanted to say of course wanting someone around the same age isn’t too high of a standard.

Are there any (maybe slightly bigger) nearby towns that are better?